


Thunder and Lace

by dreamsheartstory



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Assault, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Death Threats, F/F, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-02-19 10:24:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2384948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsheartstory/pseuds/dreamsheartstory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Regina owns a farm in Wyoming, one summer Ruby comes to work for her.<br/><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOjNanRoYeY">Just click play</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegirl20](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirl20/gifts).



> For Day One of [Red Queen Week 2014](http://redqueenweek.tumblr.com/). Prompt : AU  
> Inspired by [this post from thegirl20](http://thegirl20.tumblr.com/post/96110095877/i-was-adding-a-couple-of-prompts-to-some-of-the)

Five years ago tomorrow was the day she asked me to stay. It was the day I left. Four years of college a few years late and a year trying to fit into the real world and there wasn’t a night I didn’t see her face. She was the first person I ever really loved… the only person I had ever loved completely. Sure there had been others, but a part of me was missing when I was with them.

She never called me, not once in the last five years. I’m not sure I would have answered if she had. Yesterday, I packed up my bags and left my life. I had no one to tie me down, no reason to stay anymore. School was over, my work contract had finished. I could start over anywhere, so I drove.

I had driven so far I had run out of gas. Nothing in sight but fields of wheat. I took a wrong turn back about fifty miles I think, but then again, I’m not sure even where I was going, or where I was, so _wrong turn_ was rather subjective. The rolling fields called me to them, but I’m not even sure these are hers. I hadn’t meant to come here.

I had been thinking about Oregon. It would be a change of pace, a change of scenery. It wouldn’t be so damned hot. A few friends I knew in college had moved to Portland. But somehow, here I was, somewhere in Wyoming, on a lonely road. There wasn’t a house in sight. Not a single bar of reception on my cell. Nothing but wheat. I kicked the tire of my truck, not my truck, her truck, useless thing.

The noonday sun was beyond hot, and it wasn’t likely that anyone would pass by before I ran out of water. Things were not looking good. Maybe, just maybe, I could wait out the heat. I hopped up into the back of beat up pick up truck, and lay down on an old blanket I kept in the cab. After a time I fashioned some shade from a tarp. It wouldn’t be possible to try to walk back to civilization before sundown. 

Sundown was a magical time on the prairie. The sun turned the sky vibrant reds and oranges, and the heat of day would break. On the wild days a rainstorm would move in, drenching the parched land and cleaning the soul. Today was not a wild day. It was hot and dusty and everything reminded me of my mistakes of which I had made too many.

I could still feel her hands around me, rough work worn hands that slipped over my skin like velvet. Her touch was heat. She was my life that summer and the memory of it had kept me going more than I would like to think on. Her hands would tangle in my hair when we kissed, fiercely holding me to her as if I were the last breath of air. The thought of her kiss burned through me hotter than the midday heat. This was not the time for that. But all I could think of was the way we fit together, her mouth on me and the way she tasted on my tongue.

No one else had ever tasted so sweet.

That night we danced in the rain. The drought had broken. Covered in mud we had stumbled into her house, drunkenly trying to clean up the mess we made so the others wouldn’t know. Keeping to ourselves and teasing the other ranch hands who went mad that summer between the two of us. She would kiss me senseless behind the tractor and expect me to get back up on my horse without divulging our secret. Until the day I left. The day everything went wrong. No. I couldn’t think of her. I’ll only go mad and the heat has made me crazy enough.

I reached for my water finding I only had one more mouthful. Fine. I would sleep. I would make it until the sun went down. Then I could walk. Maybe there would be a house just out of sight. Just down the road. There wouldn’t be one though. I was in the middle of nowhere. Wyoming was huge and barely had enough people to fill a proper, if small, city. This was it. But of course I would start walking, as soon as the sun set. It couldn’t be long now. Though who knows how long I’ve been lying here. Until then I would just sleep and dream–

“I never did think I’d see my truck again,” a woman’s voice drawled. “Never thought I would see you again either,” she added.

It couldn’t be. I had found her, stumbled upon her land when I had done all I could to drive the memory of its location from me. My heart leapt. I still didn’t know if that is what I had wanted. I tried to sit up, but moving was impossible, the heat had drained any energy from me, any sense, any ability to move properly. She wasn’t here. It was just my mind. Tricks in the heat. A mirage. I probably had heat stroke.

The woman moved the tarp, and I felt a breeze waft over me. It wasn’t cool, but it was cooler than it had been. The truck shifted as she jumped into the bed, she leaned over me, her face blurry, but definitely _her_. “Regina?” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years ago Ruby Lucas ends up at Storybrooke Farm in search of a job.

_Five years ago…_

The ad had been placed in the local paper, a hired ranch hand just for the summer months. Regina Mills needed one more hand this summer, her adopted son Henry was away at a writers retreat for three months, and one set of hands could change if they brought the wheat harvest in and planted next season on time or not. When a tall lanky girl had shown up in red flannel, worn denim, and a wide set smile she had been skeptical, but part of her wanted the young woman to stay around. Ruby Lucas was different, and for once it might be nice to have another woman’s company.

“Miss Lucas,” Regina drawled. “For the first part of the summer you’ll be working closely with David Nolan, to oversee the harvest process and move the harvested grain into the trucks. Predominately we’ll be needing another set of eyes to make sure everything is running smoothly but you’ll be doing a lot of heavy lifting along with the rest of us. And I assume you’re comfortable riding long distances?” Regina looked the skinny girl over again, hoping she wouldn’t regret hiring her and that the strength test she had put her through hadn’t been a fluke. 

Ruby blushed under the scrutiny, nodding emphatically. She grew up riding English but had spent summers out west riding Western for fun. Her grandmother had thought it absolutely necessary for her to be a well rounded horsewoman. At least until everything had fallen apart. She pushed the thought from her mind.

The older woman raised an eyebrow, waiting for a proper response.

“Yes, Mrs.? Ms.? Mills.”

“Ms. is fine. Mills is my maiden name. Let’s get you acquainted with the property.”

Regina led Ruby out of the expansive ranch house and down a dirt path to the barn. The smell hit before she saw them, horses. Back before she and Granny had lost everything she had ridden every day. It smelled like home. A wide grin spread across the young woman’s face, and her step lightened. This was something she could handle. This was a life she could live. It wasn’t New York and that’s what she needed right now.

“We could easily drive, but I would like to see how you sit a horse before I make my final decision. What with you being a New Englander, I can’t imagine you have had a lot of chance to ride western?”

“I spent most of my summers growing up out west riding.”

“Good. You’ll be riding Spirit mostly.”

The two women made their way into the barn in silence. Memories rushed over Ruby, she moved automatically her body knowing what to do, even as her mind raced. It had been years since she had ridden but she was nervous to admit that. If she could avoid explaining the last few years of her life everything would be better off. Ms. Mills had already had enough questions about her recently sparse work history that spanned several states and several questionable establishments.

Ruby introduced herself to her new mount, a quiet pinto nearly seventeen hands tall. She let him sniff and scratched his forelock talking to him in a low voice before moving to get his tack. Taking a deep breath she started the process of saddling him, hoping she remembered everything. It would have done to try to ride again before she came out here to ask for the job but she had run out of money last week and if Mr. Nolan hadn’t offered her a ride she never would have even had the opportunity.

Spirit started to show his namesake the closer she got to getting out of the barn. With as much grace as she could muster Ruby swung up onto Spirit’s back, landing heavier than she would have liked to. Her years of english training usually kept her light in the saddle. Still, a thrill ran through her as she sat up above the earth, looking down at the world from between two furry ears. She switched her reins into one hand and sighed contentedly trying not to count the number of years it had been since she had last ridden. 

Regina swung up onto a coal black stallion, watching Ruby as she did so. Her gaze was analytical, picking apart every action. “We’ll be taking the road down to the boarding house where all the ranch hands stay. You can get your things later. For now I’m turning you over to David.” She gestured for the younger woman to lead so she could watch her form, though somewhere along the ride it became an excellent excuse to just watch Ruby. The girl was clearly experienced with horses, but out of practice. A few days riding around the farm would rid her of that, which was clear by the way she settled into the ride. Regina smiled to herself pleased that she would work out and she wouldn't have to entertain any more idiots on her search. 

The ride was shorter than Ruby had expected as she slid down off Spirit’s back. Even as tall as Ruby was, her mount was taller. As her feet hit the ground she groaned softly, inner thighs already sore. The bunkhouse was a long stone colored building with one entrance in the middle. It didn’t look very homey from the outside, but she could hear laughter pouring out one of the open windows. She had slept in places that made this look like the Ritz. As long as she had her own bed and it was clean she’d be okay.

A loud crash thundered from inside the building, shaking some of the nearby windows. The black stallion reared with a scream, but Regina managed to keep her seat. Her horse skittered and pranced, threatening to bolt, trying to shake his rider. Ruby was in front of him before she’d had time to think, her voice soft and low, trying to calm him down before either he or Spirit bolted. She didn’t want to see Regina dumped, or worse, trampled by the skittish stallion. Her heart thudded in her chest and by the time she was able to gently grab at his bridle she could feel it pulsing in her fingertips. Leading him to the tie down she took the reins from Regina and looped them over the bar.

Several scruffy men had run out of the building, but Ruby’s attention was still on Regina and the black stallion. Regina was pale and her jaw clenched tight, but she let Ruby help her down, the younger woman’s hands on her hips steadying her dismount, lingering a moment longer than necessary. The horse turned his head reaching to nip at Ruby’s leg. She jumped away lightly, letting go of Regina and glaring him down.

“Are you okay?” Ruby asked quietly.

Regina gave a curt nod, her mind racing. She patted the stallion’s neck, trying to calm him further, trying to ignore the memory of Ruby’s hands on her. It wasn’t every day she was nearly thrown in so many ways. The tall lanky girl was one surprise after another. Taking a shaky breath she let it out slowly. “Yeah, we’re okay,” she murmured, still petting the stallion.

“Regina?”

“I’m fine, David. Ms. Lucas here calmed the beasty down.” Regina said stepping out from behind the black horse and walking over to the group of men, Ruby followed.

“He really isn’t ready to ride yet.”

“He was fine until you lot made a ruckus,” Regina raised an eyebrow daring anyone to challenge her. “What was that?”

“Wait, So you put her on Spirit, and then she faced down Lucifer?” One of them said from behind Spirit where he stood scratching behind his ear.

“That would be the gist of it, Killian.”

“Impressive,” he said followed by a chorus of assent from the rest of the men.

“Your horse’s name is Lucifer?” Ruby asked incredulous, suddenly not surprised he’d tried to bite her. Anyone who named a horse after the devil was only asking for trouble. 

“His name isn’t Lucifer, it’s Luc,” Regina explained. “He’s kind of a devil to ride sometimes, as you noticed. The men have a penchant for inappropriate nicknames, especially our dear Killian.”

Ruby nodded, giving her a look of wide eyed unamused agreement. Storybrooke Farm was proving an interesting place.

“Killian,” he stepped out from behind Spirit giving a mocking little bow.

“Robin.”

“Will.”

“Sean.”

“Billy.”

They said in a round, it was almost practiced. 

“It’s good to see you again, kid.” David smiled and extended his hand. “Glad you didn’t get trampled by the black beast. That would have been a horrible first day.” 

Ruby took David’s hand and shook it, a wide grin on her face. “Same.” David had persuaded her to come out and ask for the job after having found her in the coffee shop in town almost begging for a part time job that wouldn’t have even covered rent.

“So what kind of work have you been doing up until now?” Killian asked, leaning against the railing where the horses were tied.

“The kind that pays, anything really. It’s been that kind of year.” Ruby smiled, hiding behind the thin venire of ambiguity. Hard work had been her life, it just hadn’t always been outside. She didn’t know what the boys would do if they found out she had been a model for years. Any respect she might have earned calming down Luc would be gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long to get to! Apparently I'm writing a lot of things these days, but I haven't forgotten about this one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Storybrooke Farm may not be the escape from the world Ruby hoped for, but then again...

A truck rolled down the drive, kicking up dust in its wake. Regina sighed, smiling tight lipped, unhappy at the arrival. “I need to get going, but, David, if you could finish acquainting Miss Lucas with the land, we’ll meet back at the house for Sunday diner per usual.” She turned sharply and walked back to Luc, mounting him before glancing back one last time at Ruby. She wanted to know more about her. There was something about the tall lanky girl that intrigued the older woman. Giving a curt nod she coaxed Luc into a canter after the truck.

Ruby looked back at the men, most of whom were lounging against the boarding house. They looked a motley crew, tanned and rough skinned, weathered from hard work outside. She turned to look out at the wheat fields beyond. Soft golden hills rolled on into the horizon in one direction and to the base of an outcropping of rock in the other. If she had understood earlier almost anything she could see was Storybrooke Farm. It was a massive expanse of fields in the shadow of the mountains. This summer, this is where she would live, the land where she would rebuild herself after the break because everything had fallen apart. Her life had made her a monster she didn’t recognize and Ruby was desperately trying to take steps to find herself again. There was promise and hope in those fields.

She felt a warmth beside her, one of the men approached slowly to talk. “Welcome to a thousand miles from nowhere, kid.” David gestured to the rolling fields of wheat in front of them and patted her on the back, “I didn’t think you would actually come with me.”

“I wasn’t so sure myself.” Ruby looked up at him. He had been kind when they met and she had been desperate for a job. It might have been reckless to jump in the truck with him to drive out of town into the middle of nowhere, but it was no more reckless than the last few years of her life. She sighed, squaring her shoulders, that was all behind her now. It had to be.

“So what are you running from?” asked a voice from behind them. Ruby peered around her new boss to see a long dark figure relaxed against the building, a five o’clock shadow turning into scruff already though it was barely past noon. “Not many city folk come out her unless they’re running from something.” He tipped his hat up so he could look at Ruby. “And you are most definitely city folk.”

There was a look in his eyes that unnerved her. It was all too familiar, as if he knew who she was. Unlikely though it was that her work had made it out to this quiet backcountry in Wyoming, it was possible. She swallowed heavily and looked away. “Killian, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered. Ruby could feel his eyes on her.

Clenching her jaw she fought the urge cross the distance between them and put him in his place. She hadn’t survived years of being ogled by men in the fashion industry by keeping silent. Some photographers had refused to work with her, but she worked as hard as any of the men, her work was just that, work, it hadn’t made her less of a person. She settled for not flinching under his gaze. If he knew her work well enough to recognize her then he’d let her know sooner or later. They always did.

Most of the rest of the men had shifted back inside out of the noonday sun leaving David, Killian and Ruby in an uncomfortable triangle.

“So what is it?” Killian pressed.

“Killian,” David’s voice had an edge to it.

“Just an honest job. I’m here to work, same as you.” Ruby took one last look out over the fields and turned to David. “Ms. Mills said something about showing me around?”

“You sure you don’t want to stay around here, love? Those fields will be there tomorrow.” He gestured at the expanse with the flask in his hand. “You should come in, get to know the boys, have a drink.” His tone was warm but he had an air about him that made Ruby uneasy.

“That’s okay, I should really get familiar with the land if I’m to be of any use to you all.” Ruby ducked her head and made her way back to Spirit. She didn’t like the feeling Killian gave her, his voice twisted in her gut and not in a pleasant way. The sooner she could get away from him and get her bearings on the ranch maybe the sooner she could find a way to get Killian to leave her alone. Or maybe she could lose him out there in the rolling amber fields.

Ruby spent most of the afternoon following David around the farm, trying to learn the landmarks so she wouldn’t ever get lost. If she wanted to do her job well she’d need to know every hill and valley. They crossed two different creeks and there were three ponds though David said only one stayed throughout the summer. The sun beat down on them and Ruby was thankful for the hat David had insisted she borrow and the flannel she kept on despite the heat. Her pale skin, soft with the New England winters, had forgotten what it felt like to be windswept and sunburned. 

Her muscles ached by the time they returned to the barn, it was a familiar pain, not entirely unpleasant. It made her feel young again, barely able to walk after a long day riding, working to earn her keep, her hands dirty and rough and smelling of horses. Spirit had lived up to his name, proving spry and opinionated for a gelding. At least he had seemed to tolerate her despite Ruby feeling green again, it had been years since she rode. As she put away the tack, cleaning it and leaving it to dry she tried to stretch discreetly, groaning inwardly. It was going to be a long week.

Promising to meet up at the main house in an hour she found her room in the bunk house. Ruby had a large room to herself being the only female on crew this summer. She was tempted to collapse on the bed but didn’t want to show up for her first dinner reeking of horse and sweat. Part of her wanted to impress the crew, deep down she knew she wanted to get Regina’s attention. She hadn’t missed the lingering looks the older woman had given her sending shocks of hope through her.

Someone had been nice enough to bring her bags in and Ruby made a mental note to figure out who it was so she could thank them. Not that there had been a lot to move, but she was glad she didn’t have to go hunting down her things right now. With barely a glance at her bags she grabbed her shower kit and headed for the bathroom.

As she let the warm water wash away the day she played it over in her mind. Tonight she had a place to sleep, she’d have something to eat and in the morning she would have a job to do. There would be purpose in getting up. Perhaps, slowly she could start rebuilding her life and move past everything that had happened in New York. Ruby closed her eyes willing the memories that started to flood into her mind at the very thought of the city back into their box in the back of her mind. It would be the only way she could make it through the rest of the day. Tonight when it was all said and done she could unpack them, turn the memories over in her mind, ask the ether for forgiveness.

Between now and then she had other things to occupy her, most notably, her new employer, Ms. Mills, Regina Mills. She could still feel the weight of the other woman’s gaze and the feel of her hips underneath her hands as Ruby had helped her down from the skittish stallion. Shaking her head she tried to convince herself she had only imagined what those looks had said. That maybe they hadn’t even had been there. It would be easier if that were the case. She could admire Regina from a respectable distance, keep things professional, she probably wouldn’t even be seeing her that often anyway. If today was any indication she’d spend most of her time with the other hired hands. Tonight, however. Ruby took a deep breath and turned the shower cold for a few moments before she stepped out. There was still dinner to get through.

Ruby wrapped a towel around herself and made her way back into the room that was too large for just one person, with too many beds. It echoed like something hollow. Sitting down next to her suitcase she noticed a magazine open on the other side of it, placed just so for her to notice. A young looking brunette in grey lingerie and one of those fluffy hat scarves that looked like a wolf reclined on white sheets gazing up at her with sultry green eyes. Ruby let out a frustrated cry and threw the magazine across the room. She had barely been eighteen then. The magazine fluttered and crashed against the far wall.

He knew. Killian knew. And if he had that magazine, because there was no way he had found it in such a short time, then he probably had others. He would either be the guy that had already told everyone, in which case the next few weeks were going to be hell until she could get them to see past who she had been. Or he would be the guy that held her past over her head like a threat. If he had photoshoots this old he probably knew the whole story, well the whole story at least as far as the media had been concerned. Biting her fist she muffled a cry. No matter where she went she could never go far enough to get away from everything that had happened.

There was no time for that now though. Her eyes flicked to the clock. If she didn’t want to make the others late she’d have to finish getting ready quick. Pulling on a pair of soft black jeans, and a white tank top she buttoned up a red flannel, rolling the sleeves up halfway. Grabbing a pair of black boots she looked herself over in the mirror. She didn’t look fancy but maybe it would do. Ruby sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, jumping when there was a sharp knock at the door. David’s voice carried from the other side, asking if she was ready.

It didn’t take long to get to the farm house once they all piled in the truck, Ruby took a seat as far away from Killian as she could. If they noticed her silence no one commented, though it was more of a relief that no one watched her out of the corner of their eye. Killian clearly had other plans with his knowledge of her, but at least, perhaps, she wouldn’t have to deal with them tonight. She felt her shoulders relax some, though the stiffness from the long day riding wouldn’t allow her to relax completely. The men filed into the kitchen, greeting Regina and grabbing beers before heading past into an open area that held the dining table and lounge. 

Ruby hung back near the door, just inside the kitchen and watching the familiarity, the family, longing to feel like she belonged to that. There was a kernel of doubt though now that Killian had revealed he knew. It had to have been him. If he held that over her, used it against her, she could never belong here. She sighed, mentally preparing to make this just another job in a long string of placements. Ruby found herself looking down at the floor when Regina approached her.

“On Sunday nights we put work aside. This is our time to be a family. You’re one of us now, Ruby, come enjoy dinner.” Regina’s voice was warm.

The older woman held out a glass of wine and Ruby glanced up, a small smile catching at the corner of her mouth. Her breath caught in her throat as she noticed the way Regina looked at her. A look it seemed that was saved for when they were alone. She hadn’t imagined it. “Thank you,” she managed. It took all her effort to keep from stepping closer to Regina, closing the small distance between them. Taking a sip of wine she allowed herself a moment to look the older woman over. Though truthfully she realized, Regina couldn’t be too much older than Ruby herself. Not more than ten years. Regina had changed from her work clothes and into a sundress that clung to her. Noticing the younger girl’s lingering eyes Regina winked before turning on her heel and moving to join the men in the other room.

Ruby let out a slow breath and took another sip of the wine before following Regina to the table. It was going to be a long summer.


	4. Chapter 4

It was dark when Ruby opened her eyes and searched for the source of the alarm. A clock glowed steadily at 4:05am. She groaned loudly knowing she had to drag herself out of bed. At least it wasn’t cold out, already she was only sleeping under a thin sheet, even that threatened to be too much. The week had been hot and dry, the nighttime giving little relief. There was no hitting snooze this morning, no waiting for the sun. Farm work started with the first light of day, which meant she had to be ready before the sun touched the land. It had been a long time since she’d seen the sun rise so many days in a row, and even longer still that she’d woken up to see one instead of catching one as she stumbled blurry eyed into bed.

Running long fingers through her hair she stood up and padded over to the wall looking for the light switch. Every noise she made echoed through the room. Empty. She cringed at the hollow sound. The light was bare and harsh after the darkness and Ruby covered her eyes, waiting for them to adjust. 

The room was emptier with the lights on, the white of the walls making the space bright and open. There was nothing to break it up, nothing that felt like a home. Ruby dressed in a hurry knowing she would rather be out under the open sky than in that sterile room. Ducking out of the bunkhouse without talking to anyone she made her way toward the barn. The moon was still bright, predawn light not yet creeping over the horizon. She leaned against the truck, suppressing a yawn as she tried to observe how these people worked together. She had been there a little over a week and was still figuring out how she fit in.

Regina thrust a travel mug full of coffee into Ruby’s hands, her fingers brushing against the taller girl’s for a moment longer than they needed to. Her smile was warm,“The first week is always rough, cream and sugar are in the back of the truck. I don’t know how you take yours.”

“Black is good,” Ruby nodded sleepily as she took a sip, thankful for the coffee. Even at 4:45 in the morning the rancher woman had a way of looking absolutely stunning. Ruby was pretty certain that she looked like she’d only just rolled out of bed after a rough night, which wasn’t entirely untrue. Most of the night she had spent alternately being worried about what Killian might say or do next and wondering if Regina was flirting with her or she was just making that up. Not that she needed that right now, right now she needed to focus on getting her life back together.

Sipping the coffee she watched the other woman move from person to person making sure everything and everyone was ready for the morning. Today would involve a survey of the fields and plotting which needed work and which ones could be replanted. Almost in a daze she saddled Spirit, only paying him enough mind to not get bit. Her attention never strayed far from Regina. It was too early, and she was too tired to try to rein herself in. At least it was dark out, no one could see the embarrassing amount of time she was spending watching her new boss walk away. She groaned inwardly, no one should be able to look that good in work jeans. 

The sun crept over the horizon by degrees. First dark blue, then lighter, before exploding in pink and orange and warm light. A mist had settled low in over the fields and the air was still. Aside from the horses’ breath and the occasional click from a rider it was quiet and calm out on the farm. 

The crew had broken off into teams, Ruby, to her dismay, had been sent off alone with David. She had been wishing that Regina might have asked her to come with her, but she probably had other things to do than survey the fields. Besides, Ruby reminded herself, she was here to work, and sort out her life, not flirt with her new boss. Even if she wasn’t that much older than Ruby. Still, she found herself wondering.

“What’s Regina’s story? She seems young to own all of this,” Ruby gestured at the wheat fields around them. From where they were they couldn’t even see the house anymore. Nothing but the fields. It was beautiful in a way, knowing that they were so far away from everything. Out here there wasn’t the temptations there were in the city, she had a chance.

David reined his horse in and turned to look back at her. “It was her parent’s farm, they left it to her and her fiancé Daniel.”

Ruby made a small noise, in the back of her throat, partially disappointed, but also surprised. She hadn’t seen a ring on Regina’s finger, and hadn’t heard a single mention of Daniel until now. If David had heard her he didn’t show it. He had turned back in his saddle and rode on as he spoke.

“An accident took her father and fiancé several years ago. Her mother ran the farm, but she's been absent since the deaths. I don’t think I’ve seen Cora once since.” David continued on, not noticing the troubled look on Ruby's face. He skipped over the details, but it was evident the deaths had hit everyone on the farm hard, and there was a chance it seemed that he believed they hadn't been purely accidental. Since their deaths the farm had been struggling, just hauling in enough wheat each year to cover expenses. 

The past year had been dry. If it didn't rain soon they would be facing a draught this summer which would devastate the crop and Regina would likely lose the farm. Even having only been here a few days she felt a pang of worry as she looked out over the fields.

Ruby fell silent uncertain about what she had walked into and wishing she had asked more questions before accepting the job. Not that she really had a choice, she reminded herself. Knowing that the farm could go under this year, sold off by the bank piece by piece to developers, ruined any notion she had about a relaxing summer spent putting herself back together. 

When she had run into David in the coffee shop just a few days ago she had been living moment to moment deciding every moment if she would stay or run again. She wanted somewhere that felt like home. Ruby wasn't sure if the ranch could have been that for her, but he way most of them treated her, it was as if she belonged. Maybe that was just the kind of people they were, things were different out west. People were different out west. Maybe it wasn't anything to do with her or how she fit in with the others at Storybrooke, but there was something, maybe it was Regina's smile, but that something made her want to stay

“Why come out here, Ruby?” David had been silent for a time but as the morning stretched on they had both been finding ways to fill the silence.

“I needed a job.”

“You could get a job in any city, waiting tables, office work," he trailed off. Ruby didn't have many skills to speak of, not the kind that earned you a normal job. Not that he knew that, since she had exaggerated a bit when they asked about her work history. "The farm isn’t your life,–“

“It could be," she didn't add that she desperately wanted it to be.

“But it isn’t, so why hide yourself away out here? You’re young, you should be living, going to school, making stupid mistakes,” he pushed. "Not that we aren't grateful for your help."

Ruby kept riding. She might go to school, once she had the money from this summer. It would be her second chance. First she needed to find herself, away from the distractions of the people and cities. There was a good chance if she had stayed in a city all her hard work would fall to pieces. However much she had built up this past year, she needed to be away from people that would pull her back down. She seemed to find them no matter what city she was in. Ruby was a magnet for people who made bad choices, no matter where she was disaster seemed to follow in her wake.

Her mother had been an addict and she’d been born addicted. It wasn’t a happy childhood. She only remembered a little of living with her mother, mostly she remembered the fear and the hunger. When she was six her grandmother had stepped in and taken her away from her mother. Life didn't get easier, but it was better. 

Ruby had started working at her Granny’s diner at age thirteen to help pay the bills because the recession hit and took away almost everything from them. When she was fifteen a talent scout had stopped by on his way through their sleepy little Maine town. He had offered her a contract modeling in New York. Knowing they needed the money, she took it, leaving her life behind. Granny deserved a break and this was Ruby's chance to give it to her. Six months later Granny had died, and she was alone in New York City. There was nothing to go back to.

Two of her friends and fellow models, Ashley and Aurora had helped her avoid being taken away by the foster system. For a while it felt like everything was working out, but New York had never been that simple. It was a city of ever changing rules. Money ruled the streets. It wasn't like Maine where you could get by on good will and a promise of hard work. 

Ruby, Aurora, and Ashely fell in with a crowd models that would do anything to stay on top. At one point Ruby stopped eating and started doing drugs recreationally. Her career boomed. The worse the choices she made were the more money she earned. Ruby worked harder than most of the models at her agency to stay in shape and on top of the trends. For a long while she rode a delicate balance between the life of a party girl and an athlete. If she wasn't working she was either at the gym or at a party. Either way she was busy and she didn't allow herself time to think about what it all meant. That much control only came at a price and not long after she turned twenty everything started spiraling out of control. 

At twenty she had woken up in a hospital, alone. The doctor said she had over dosed on a drug she didn’t remember taking. She did remember some sketchy fucks showing up at the after party the night before. A couple of guys she had never seen, which was strange given the exclusivity of the party. Ashley and Aurora had not been so lucky. They never woke up.

When the hospital let her go she emptied her bank account and took the first train heading west. She had been scared and alone, so she ran. No one else at the party had been slipped anything. It hadn't been the first time someone had come after her either. She left a note for her agent, simply stating she quit, something she'd only done out of a sense of obligation and guilt for dropping out right as she was about to sign a big contract.

That part of her life had to be over. She wouldn’t turn into her mother. If she stayed she knew that she would end up a drug addict. Granny had raised her better than that. It was a year to the day that she left New York that she had made it out to Storybrooke Farm to in hopes that Regina Mills would hire her. Every choice felt like she was throwing a Hail Mary, a last ditch effort to get something right, but would probably, ultimately, fail.

Ruby sucked in a breath, trying to keep the tears from falling. “There wasn’t anything left for me out east.” She tipped her hat down so David couldn’t see the haunted look on her face and coaxed Spirit into a trot. It wasn't that she wouldn't say more if pressed, but telling your boss of a week that you used to do drugs until two of your best friends died of an overdose, seemed like a poor choice.

They passed most of the rest of the day in silence, except when they talked about work. The success of the season hinged on how much rain fell and how quickly it came. Everything elsewas in place and ready for the crew to start planting. If it rained, and soon, the farm would survive another season.

Ruby sighed inwardly and she kicked the door open into her bunk, if only her life were as easy to sort out as the harvest was. It was easy enough to sort out what needed to happen to account for most anything that might come to pass when the crop was concerned. David had spent the day drilling her on contingency plans. He had grown up working the land and knew how to care for it. Even though Ruby had spent most of her summers on the back of a horse she felt like a city girl through and through. Her thighs ached and her back was sore. Her neck was sunburnt and no matter how much she ate it never seemed like enough. 

The fact that Killian was hellbent on tormenting her only rubbed salt in the wound. Ruby didn't have a lot of transferable skills having spent most of her working life in modeling. She knew how to talk people into whatever she wanted and she knew how to keep herself on track. Or she did. Ruby kicked her bed frame and sent it skidding a couple inches. Everything had fallen apart at the end and she had run like a scared child. A remote part of her brain reminded her that she would have completely spiraled out if she had stayed. Ashley had been her best friend since her first day in New York City. Now, all that was gone, and somehow Ruby had ended up in the middle of nowhere on a farm in Wyoming with a flirty boss and a coworker determined to not let her past stay just that, past.

Sweat trickled down Ruby's face. The day was hot and the windows had been closed in the bunkhouse and the air conditioning in her room was on the fritz. She cursed inwardly as she wiped sweat off her face. The summer was only going to get hotter and she would never be able to sleep here. Aside from the heat she worried that the flimsy lock wouldn't keep Killian out if he decided to harass her or leave another gift like he had on the first day. She just didn't want any problems. She just wanted to keep her head down and do something right for once. If just once she didn't make the wrong decision maybe she wouldn't lose any one else. Ruby had already lost all the people she had ever cared for, Aurora, Ashley, all the friends she left behind in New York City, Granny.

A small frustrated growl trickled out of Ruby's throat as she tore off her flannel and threw it on the bed. Ruby knew she shouldn't blame herself, but she did. Maybe it was survivor's guilt. She toed off her boots with more force than was needed, one crashed against the wall.

"Whoa there, wolf girl," Killian said. He leaned against the door frame, smiling. His smile would be charming, his scruffy exterior appealing, if Ruby didn't know what a sleaze he was. No respectable man would have left that magazine spread out like that. Not when it was meant to shame and frighten her. Ruby hated that his move had worked. She could never look Regina in the eye again if she found out from anyone else about some of the things she had done for money. Someday, perhaps, she would tell her, but Ruby wanted it to be on her own terms. 

"What do you want?" she spat. It was too hot, and she was trying too hard to leave that life behind her right now. What Ruby needed was room to breath, and Killian was going to suffocate her with her own past.

"Oh, not much," he said as he let a magazine fall open. The centerfold tumbled out. Ruby, Ashley, and Aurora, curled around each other in not much more than a few skimpy pieces of lingerie. They had been so impossibly young, trying to navigate the real world with no one to help them or tell them they were allowed to say no. "Just looking through the old collection. I've been a follower of yours for years. I was ways a little disappointed you changed directions and you didn't do more of this, but with less on." 

He took a couple of steps into the room and Ruby stumbled back a couple of steps. She wasn't sure what Killian was after but she was fairly certain it was nothing she wanted to give him. The three months of self defense trainingshe had had flashed through her mind. She was thankful Aurora had insisted they all take classes but she wasn't sure if she'd be strong enough to take on Killian. This past year she had grown soft and the farm had yet to build her back up. She didn't want to be soft, but she didn't want a fight either. It was still early enough in the season that they could find someone to replace her. She wasn't a part of the team, really they were more like family. Whatever it was it was clear that she wasn't a part of the inner circle yet. That would take time, and right now Killian was threatening her chance to belong.

"My modeling career is behind me now. I don't think you'll ever get what you're looking for." Ruby shrugged, trying to play off the uneasy feeling in her stomach with nonchalance. She tugged at her tank top wishing it covered more.

He took a few more steps into the room, and was nearly halfway to Ruby, "Are you so sure-"

"Killian." His name was a statement not a question, "What are you doing in here?" Regina looked down her nose at the taller man. She had a way of talking to him that was completely professional and yet there was an underlying tone of disdain. 

Quickly Killian rolled up the magazine and tried to hide it behind his back. "Ms. Mills, we weren't expecting a visit from you this evening. I was just checking in on Miss Lucas here and seeing how the lady was settling in." He tipped his hat at Regina and backed out of the room being careful to not show her what he was holding onto.

"Thank you, Killian, I hope that is all it was." Regina brushed past him and walked over to Ruby. She had her blue flannel buttoned up and tucked into jeans that fit too well to not be tailored. She was just dirty enough that Ruby could tell she had worked as hard as the rest of them today, but somehow she still looked immaculate and put together. Regina managed to look like she hadn’t spent the day sweating in the hot sun like the rest of them. Her eyes flicked over Ruby, trying to see what neither the girl nor Killian was saying. She paused, a small sad smile on her lips. "I hope he hasn't been too much trouble. He can be a handful sometimes."

"A handful." Ruby shook her head trying to manage some semblance of confidence in the face of the older woman. If Regina thought Killian was merely a handful she wondered what kind of man a person would have to be for her to consider them a problem. There was a light though in her eyes, one that said more than her words, that she _knew_ exactly how awful Killian could be. So just maybe, he was all talk. “You could call him that.”

“He didn’t do anything did he?” Regina took another step closer, looking Ruby over.There was something in the look that suggested she was worried over her newest employee being the only other female on the farm. 

"No, nothing I can't handle." Ruby smiled. She wanted the words to be true.

"You let me know if you don't want to handle it any longer," Regina said as she took one last step forward, looking up at the taller woman, an unspoken offer on her lips.

Ruby’s breath caught in her throat. Having the other woman this close was intoxicating. The power rolled off of her, almost palpable. Regina was the kind of woman who took want she wanted, but sometimes she played with it first. The idea of being what Regina wanted sped up Ruby’s heart. 

“I couldn’t convince you to come up to the house for a drink, could I?” Regina asked.

Ruby blushed, and looked down suddenly unsure. Regina was skirting the line between being friendly and flirting, her hand hovered over Ruby’s arm not quite touching as if she was unsure. Ruby didn’t mind, but she didn’t know how to reciprocate. Didn’t even know if she wanted to. This summer was supposed to be about her, not falling into someone else. A voice in the back of her mind suggested she was already in too deep that no matter what she wanted, Ruby would likely spend the summer pining after Regina. Her boss. She tried to remind herself.

For half a moment she almost said yes. She wanted to lose herself in the possibility of there being something between them, but she wanted to rebuild herself. Intimacy could come later. Maybe. The look Regina was giving her made it hard to make the decision she thought was the right one. Every moment made her question what the right decision meant. 

Regina’s finger’s brushed the back of her arm. Ruby jumped, pulling her arm back. “I’m sorry. Maybe another time.” The warmth in Regina’s eyes faded and Ruby cursed internally. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Regina. If the kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach were any indication, Regina was exactly what she wanted. Her throat felt tight, she knew she needed to say something quickly before the other woman left. “I don’t mean no. I just haven’t told you why I left New York and it’s complicated.” Ruby’s voice trailed off, afraid to imply anything in case it was only her naïve optimism making her believe that Regina was interested.

The warmth didn’t come back, but Regina’s face softened a little. “If this doesn’t work out for you, in the bunkhouse, I know you mentioned you used to spend summers sleeping in a barn. There’s an excellent loft in ours, plenty of space and an excellent cross breeze.” She shrugged as if the suggestion was nothing and took a step back.

Thinking about sleeping outside again, the heat blanketing her, caressing her bare skin and making her feel alive. It felt like a gesture of goodwill that maybe Regina wouldn’t walk away from the idea of whatever this was. Then again, maybe Ruby was just reading too much into it. She always did believe the best of people. 

Ruby smiled, “Thanks. I’ll take a look.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Regina scrunched her nose in thought as she splashed cold water on her face in an attempt to wake up. Her mind was racing, but she only had one thought: Ruby Lucas. The morning had come too soon as it always did these days. Every night would crawl by as she lay awake recounting all the ways she could fail this summer. Those thoughts fueled her days. She did not want to lose the farm, not to Mr. Gold. Not to anyone. Ruby Lucas was more of a distraction than she had counted on and the girl did little more than look her way. The girl had legs for days and a dark mysterious past. She was intriguing and Regina was accustomed to acquiring the things which grabbed her interest.

Ruby was become one of those things.

Regina shook her head trying to dislodge the train of thought. She felt a certain responsibility to take care of Ruby. She had hired her after all, placing her as the only woman on the farm hand staff. The only woman out there in the fields besides Regina herself, though her days of getting her hands dirty were becoming fewer and farther between. The majority of her men were gentlemen, proper ones, but she was worried. These days she had too many things to worry about. Her home was being threatened and if she didn’t fight for it tooth and nail she would lose it. Mr. Gold had promised as much, threatening his return this week. She had done her best to evade him as she put together plans and scrape together the money she needed, but he had ways of finding her even on the most remote corner’s of Storybrooke Farm.

Saving the farm was more important to her than playing chaperone to the miscreants that had found the way onto her staff. She would have to trust that Ruby could take care of herself. The girl seemed like she could hold her own, and truthfully that wasn’t the problem. If she was honest with herself Regina knew that Killian was her problem but she couldn't afford to short staff herself this close to harvest. Ruby was tough, that was part of why Regina had been so quick to hire her. There was a fire in her that reminded Regina of the person she once was.

There was no time for dwelling on any of that though. She had to save her father’s farm and prove her mother wrong. She splashed icy water on her face and reached for a towel to pat it dry. One day at a time. First she needed coffee, then maybe she would feel like she could tackle the rest.

Entering the kitchen she passed by the light switching, feeling her way like she did every morning. From the fridge she took the coffee beans and pulled a grinder down from the cabinet. The aroma hit her nose, a thick earthy scent that smelled like dark chocolate and cinnamon. Regina smiled to herself as she went through the motions, a little ritual that prepared her for the day. The scent of brewing coffee woke her up.

As she leaned against the counter, a warm mug in her hands Regina allowed herself  a moment for her thoughts to drift. They didn’t stray far as she found herself thinking again about Ruby.

The first time they met it was Ruby’s smile, almost shy, but big enough to open up her face like a ray of sunshine. It was bright and alive. When Regina caught Ruby looking at her and the girl would quickly turn away. There was something in it that made Regina trust her, it was an honest smile that sparkled in her eyes. It spoke of hope and a search for life. Ruby was the kind of person who would jump at an opportunity to get what she needed. It was vibrant, but it told of the kind of life that tended to see a lot of heartbreak.

Regina sighed. She knew what hope like that felt like though it had been years since Daniel. There had been no one since, but she found herself taking time to try to give Ruby a cause to smile. At first it had been easier, but as the summer progressed the girl often seemed troubled  and making her smile happened less often.

The first morning they had really seen each other, the morning where she had brought Ruby coffee had been the morning Regina had fallen in love with that smile. She hadn’t had time to speak with the girl since she had saved her from Luc spooking and the coffee had been an olive branch of sorts. It wasn’t that Regina hadn’t wanted to see her but Mr. Gold had kept her busy digging up piles of paperwork and making sure everything was filled out in triplicate. 

It seemed that as each week passed she saw more of Mr. Gold and the bank and less of the far that she was trying to save and the family she was trying to keep together. Seeing any of that money-hungry monster was too much for Regina. There was little left in her day to day that made her smile. If only Ruby had accepted her offer of drinks the other night, it would have been a nice distraction from the worry that was constantly eating at her. 

If she didn’t find a way to get at least half the money she owed before the harvest finished she would lose the ranch. Regina sighed and set her coffee down. Soon the crew would begin to wake and they would be wanting breakfast before they started on their day. Maybe they could all get out into the fields before sunrise, and maybe if they got out soon enough she could have a day where she didn’t have to deal with Mr. Gold.

Before too long she had an assembly line of breakfast burritos and the worry that had gripped her on waking had faded into background noise for a few moments. The spice hit her nose, burning, and she smiled to herself. The hotter the better. Though of course she would make a few plain ones, some of the men still hand’t grown accustomed to the heat.

The door creaked open and Regina snapped out of her cooking endured trance. There were few things she enjoyed as much as putting together a delicious meal. Most mornings she cooked breakfast alone, preferring the sound of sizzling food to talk until she had properly woken up. The farm hands had learned to leave her to it until she joined them out at the barn, food and coffee in the back of the truck. Maybe it was someone needing an early cup of coffee, or maybe it was Ruby. She turned to see who it was.

“Good morning, Regina.”

“Mr. Gold,” Regina sighed and pursed her lips before turning back to the stove and clicking the burners off. “What do you want at this delightfully early hour?” She was tired of the cat and mouse games they were playing. He was chasing her, taunting her, and toying with the only thing she truly held dear, the farm. Years ago he had used her nativity and youth against her to help her save the farm from her mother. He had trapped her in an impossible deal and now he was demanding that she pay up or lose the farm.

“Just that pesky little detail of your deadline,” he said as he pressed his fingertips together and paced around the kitchen.

“As if you would ever let me forget. Have you even been in your office this week? It looks like all this farm work is getting you dirty.” Regina’s stare was ice and voice colder still. If she could kick him off the farm without bringing hell down on her head she would. The bank nearly owned the farm and she didn’t want to do anything that might push it further into their hands. “What more could you possibly want of me?”

Mr. Gold ran a finger along the marble edge of the kitchen counter, “I’m sure I could find something dearie. You do owe me after all. Your mother came in yesterday, so adamant that the farm would be hers again.”

“Enough,” Regina held up a hand. At the best of times she didn’t enjoy being reminded of her mother, but hearing that Cora was still after the farm was too much. 

So engrossed were they both that they had failed to notice a third person hovering in the doorway to the kitchen. Ruby had walked in, boots somehow quiet on the tile. An empty coffee mug dangled from one hand. She had paused seeing Mr. Gold and was unsure if she would be a welcome interruption. Regina had glanced her way but only for the briefest of moments, giving her a small gesture to stay still. 

Regina hadn’t talked much with her staff about how dire things were with the bank. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them to know, she felt a certain guilt about not having been completely forthcoming about the state of affairs but she didn’t want to give Mr. Gold any more ammunition. If he knew that she was keeping it all a secret he would find some way to turn it against her. 

It was still so early in the morning, Regina was still groggy from not enough sleep and she didn’t know if she could hold this all together if Ruby wandered into the kitchen and part of her didn’t want to see the lithe brunette go. Still, she didn’t want to drag Ruby into this.

“I think it’s time you go, Mr. Gold. I have work to do and if you want your money you -“ Regina stopped herself. Calling the small man names would earn her no favors though she longed to take him down or two with a couple of choice phrases. “If you want your money let me do my job.” She turned brusquely and began assembling the last of the breakfast burritos.

“Well, I can see where I’m not wanted.”

“Can you?” Regina muttered.

“Oh quite. I’ll be back in two weeks. If you don’t have the sum in that time I’m afraid you’ll have all sorts of free time on your hands to entertain my visits.” His dress shoes clicked on the tile as he retreated out the way he had entered, oblivious to Ruby’s presence.

Ruby slid into the kitchen, emerging from the hallway where she had ducked when Mr. Gold had turned to leave. She moved across the kitchen without making a sound, coming to rest next to Regina. Ruby poured coffee into her silver thermos, a wolf howling at the moon engraved on its side. She leaned her back against the counter, her bright green eyes intent on Regina.

Regina’s hands fumbled and she tried to cover it up by wiping them on her apron. She reached for the coffee carafe with one hand and her mug with another, pouring herself a cup. She had a feeling she would need it.

“Is it that bad?” Ruby sipped at her drink, blowing on it before each sip.

“Worse. That imp has every paper to this place locked away in his vault and everything else I own wrapped up in an equity loan I had to take after.” she paused. After Daniel and her father had been killed. The story had nearly tumbled out of her mouth without a second thought. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about it though. 

“After things changed. I was young, impressionable, innocent. And he took advantage of that. What’s worse is I let him because I couldn’t lose everything. So I signed a deal with the devil and now i’m paying the price.”

In a backwards sort of way the whole story came out after she had decided to gloss over the details. Parts of it she had never confided to anyone, but something about Ruby made her think the girl would understand. She wanted Ruby to understand, as much as she wanted other things from her, but there was little time for seducing her when Regina had to throw all her energy into salvaging what was left of her life and freeing the farm from Mr. Gold’s clutches. 

She told Ruby how Daniel and her father had been killed in an accident, and how her mother, who had practically stollen the farm from her father had tried to take it from Regina. The court battles, and the hints that maybe the accident hadn’t been as accidental as everyone thought.

“But you, Ruby, you’re young and just starting out. I doubt you’ve had to endure anything so terrible. Most people my age haven’t. Be thankful”

Ruby pressed her lips together and sighed. If only it were so easy for her to talk about what had happened in New York maybe she could get past it too and move on. 

Silence fell between them and Regina noticed how close they were, leaned against the counter, hips almost touching. It would be too easy to close the distance, but she had never initiated anything like this. There had only been the occasional stranger since Daniel, men passing through town, and never anyone on the farm. And there had been, for a short time, and older woman, blonde and fierce who had helped her regain control of the farm and starting digging herself out from under Mr. Gold. Ruby was none of the things those people had been, but Regina was intrigued by her. She breathed in and held Ruby’s gaze for a moment as she entertained the possibility.

To start, Ruby broke all Regina’s rules. She was an employee, and several years younger, though not inappropriately so. But there was something in the way she had reacted when Regina had suggested her life had been easier that made her think perhaps their experiences were not all that different. It was a look that had seen too much strife which Regina knew well. The biggest issue though was that the summer would end and Ruby would leave. Ruby would to got college and whatever had passed between them would end, but there was this glorious stunning moment of perhaps.

Regina let the perhaps hang in her mind, not letting herself elaborate further, afraid to chase that line of thought. The things she dreamed turned to dust and in that moment she didn’t want them to burn so brightly they were left blinded. She didn’t want to leave behind nothing. Worst of all she didn’t want to kill that perhaps before time could breath life into it. 

A small smile tugged at the corner of Ruby’s mouth as she shifted her lean on the counter to be eye level with Regina. Their hands were close enough that Regina could feel the heat radiating from Ruby’s hand. I would be a simple thing, to curl a finger and brush her knuckle against the back of Ruby’s hand. Regina could feel her pulse thudding in her ears, drowning out the rest of the world, she almost missed Ruby’s words.

“I thought I’d take you up on that offer of a drink,” she gestured to the coffee.

Regina felt a smile spread involuntarily across her face. What was she doing? Even as the thought washed over her she didn’t want to move. She looked up into Ruby’s green eyes, tracing the electric starburst that engulfed her iris and wished. She wasn’t a lovestruck teen, but being like this, so close, she wondered if her want of fun and distraction had outstripped her senses. Still, she didn’t move, and she wondered if there might be more to what she was feeling. And, delicately, almost afraid to think it, she wished Ruby thought the same.

“I’m glad you finally decided to take me up on the offer,” Regina said as she started shifting forward. The kitchen door opened and David strolled into the kitchen. Regina sighed inwardly and stepped back instead of forward. This was how things worked for her anymore. Life asserted itself at the moment her interest was piqued. She hid her disappointment with a sip of coffee.

“Ready?” David pulled off his work gloves and stuffed them in his back pocket.

“Nearly, Mr. Gold decided to pay a visit this morning. He had the gall to show up before sunrise, in my kitchen, unannounced.” Regina made a face and reached for the tray of breakfast burritos. “Someone grab the coffee, we have work to do.”


	6. Chapter 6

Two weeks had passed since Ruby had found Mr. Gold threatening Regina over the debt that she owed him. Each morning since she had found herself rising early to go grab coffee before breakfast with the crew. They didn’t speak much at that hour in the morning, but there was a comfort in the silence. Each day she started arriving earlier just to help with breakfast. Despite the hard work she did every day, the back breaking labor and tired muscles, Ruby had never felt more relaxed anywhere in her adult life. She wanted to tell Regina that without having to explain, so she pitched in extra. Besides, she melted a little every time the older woman smiled at her. She took every opportunity she make that happen.

Some mornings it would seem Regina enjoyed having her around, working close to Ruby, she would brush up against her. It was such a delicate touch that it could always be explained away as an accident but there was something in the way Regina would hold her gaze sometimes that Ruby couldn’t ignore. So when Regina asked her to accompany her into town one morning she agreed without hesitation. The errand was the perfect excuse for them to be alone together, and maybe if Ruby were with someone else going back into town would be okay.

The last time Ruby had been alone, really alone in a crowd of people had been before David had offered her the chance at a job on the farm. She had been desperate and ready to give in. The last thing Ruby wanted was to turn back into that person who had been contemplating finding another fix or an excuse to go back to New York City.

The drive out to Rock Springs started out quiet. There was an almost awkward silence enveloping them as if they both knew they wanted to talk but they didn’t know about what. Neither wanted to break the tension in the air. Back on the farm they had talked easily, but there it had always been safe, there was nearly always someone else within earshot. And they didn’t really talk during the early morning making breakfast. Ruby enjoyed just listening to Regina talk. She had a dry wit and commanded respect if by nothing else but sheer presence of will. Regina had helped her come around and find her place in this family of farm hands. Even if one of them was perpetually doing his best to annoy her. 

There had been a moment as they had slid into the truck in the first light of dawn when they realized this would be the first time they would be completely alone without anyone interrupting. Every thought that ran through them that they had held back because of someone else listening in echoed inside them. So they stayed silent. It felt safer.

Ruby watched the rolling hills as they raced down the highway, the mountains in the distance so massive they didn’t seem to change size as the truck moved toward them. There had been mountains on the east coast but they were nothing like this. These were majestic and unreal, deadly, dangerous and beautiful. Ruby looked over to Regina as she drove, taking in the beauty and strength rippling just below her surface.

Regina’s black sunglasses wrapped around her face hiding her eyes from view. Without their sparkle she looked fiercer. Her strength and resolve etched into the lines of her face, and the set of her jaw echoed the power she held within her. Though the white of her knuckles gripping the steering wheel betrayed the calm that she seemed. Every visit to town meant a visit to Mr. Gold’s bank.

Ruby leaned her head back against the headrest and mused which was more beautiful, Regina or the mountains. She broke the silence first. “Regina?”

Regina answered with a tilt of her head to indicate she was listening.

“Why me? There must have been enough over qualified cowboys out here looking for a job. So why pick me?”

“You intrigue me,” she turned to look at Ruby for a moment before quickly reverting her gaze to the road. “We don’t get many people like you this far into the middle of nowhere. And besides, most of the townsfolk know about the rumors that Mr. Gold practically owns the farm. They never do get the story right, but it does enough damage.”

They both fell silent after that, the reminder hanging in the air that Regina was so close to losing her livelihood. That if Regina lost the farm, Ruby would lose her second chance, and somewhere in the middle of all that was the potential loss of the possibility of what was happening between them. If it all fell apart they would go their separate ways with nothing to keep them together. 

“I quite like what I’ve found out here in the middle of nowhere,” Ruby smiled and settled down into her seat. The tension in the truck eased, as if the near acknowledgment had told them both what they wanted to know. That is, except for the most important question running through Ruby’s mind at the moment, would either of them find or take an opportunity the chance to move on the tension between them. Instead of letting the thought eat away at her Ruby watched the farmlands give way to town as the reached the outskirts of Rock Springs.

Rock Springs, Wyoming was a small mountain town. Before David had offered her an opportunity to interview for a job she had been holed up in the cheapest motel within walking distance of what they called downtown. If hadn’t of talked to her that day it would have been her last one in town. She was giving it once last chance before moving on, there was no use leaving a trail in a town that didn’t give her anything back. No longer how she stayed in a place she felt like she had been running, just waiting for her life to catch up with her.  Even though no from New York had managed to find her yet it still felt like it was only a matter of time. Besides she relived that night every time she dreamed. 

Ruby’s nightmares were worst on the nights she had trouble falling asleep, as if to compound the already terrible insomnia. The more anxiety ridden her dreams the longer it took for her to fall back asleep after she had jolted awake. She would toss and turn, a thin sweat soaked sheet tangled around her. The humid air thick was all the blanket she could handle. By the time she rose the next morning her eyes would be ed rimmed from crying and it usually took a few hours or a couple good cups of coffee before she could speak or think. It was often those mornings when she woke up to Regina absently handing her a full mug of coffee before wandering off.

The town was small and sturdy, the buildings were old, but it had a quiet life to it. Rock Springs reminded Ruby of the town she grew up in back in Maine. Her Granny’s diner had been a town landmark before it all fell apart.

“Coffee?” Regina asked as she pulled up to the one coffee stop in town.

This little shop was where David had found her. She wondered how much of the girl ready to throw it all in and go home was left in her. Nearly ready to retreat to New York and beg her agent to take her back was not somewhere she wanted to be again anytime soon. The last thing she wanted to see was New York City without Aurora and Ashely. Without them she would lose herself in that place for sure. Here though, here in the middle of nowhere, felt like a second chance.

“Always,” Ruby snapped out of her reverie and flashed Regina a smile. If nothing they both shared a deep love of coffee. Opening the cab she slipped out onto the pavement and stretched. She reached up linking her hands above her head and reached for the sky, she stopped mid stretch, arms still overhead. Across the street stood Victor Whale.

Victor was one of the other models she worked with in New York. He was the kind of guy who you knew but weren’t necessarily friends with. Ruby hadn’t been terribly close with him anyway. He was a party boy who could get you any kind of designer drug you wanted and he knew everyone. Ruby had never seen him more than five minutes from either the runway or a party. What exactly he was doing in the middle of nowhere Wyoming could only be something to do with her. At least he had the decency to look surprised to see her.

“Regina?” Ruby wasn’t sure if she wanted to run and hide or confront him.

“Yeah?” Regina came around the truck watching Ruby for a moment before following her transfixed gaze across the street. “Who’s the pretty boy?”

Not only was Victor still openly staring at the both of them but he loved starkly out of place on the small downtown street. He looked like New York. His clothes were sleek and stylish and much less than practical in the early morning heat. He was still model pale, having rarely stepped out in direct sunlight.

“My  past,” Ruby cringed inwardly at her cryptic answer but she wasn’t ready to give the truth a voice. A year on the road and the thought of that night made a hand squeeze her heart.

Regina reached out and placed a hand on Ruby’s arm. The touch was barely there but it was enough, “I’ll meet you back at the truck in five.”

Briefly Ruby wondered how long Victor had been looking for her and realized she didn’t care. She crossed the street in a few quick strides, “Why the fuck are you?”

“You’re alive,” Victor said, cringing. He thought they had been friends, and for a while they had been a bit more. That was a lifetime ago though.

“I just had to know if it was really you?”

“Who was really me?”

“Some cowboy posted online that you had started working on a ranch. I didn’t think that was the kind of work you’d go for, but he knew things about you that only people who had met you in person would know.”

Ruby clenched her jaw, and flexed her fingers. It wasn’t Victor that she wanted to punch in that moment. “Well, it’s me. I’m alive. So you can leave.” She started to turn and leave but Victor kept on talking.

“I came after you, after the party, but the hospital wouldn’t tell me anything, not even if you were alive. Aurora and Ashley, their parents had funerals, but - I spent the last year searching for you.”

“What from the comfort of your twentieth floor manhattan apartment?”

“There was never a funeral. I thought you might be alive, even if you didn’t tell anyone where you were going.” Victor looked down. He was shuffling his feet like he wanted to step forward, but was afraid of what might happen if he did. “Ruby I-“

“Stop,” Ruby said taking a step back. “Don’t. We went over this long before I left.”

His face fell, but he nodded solemnly. “Can you at least tell me what really happened that night?”

“No,” Ruby looked down, she didn’t want to meet his gaze. “I lost everything I had left. Everything was all so fucked up in the end.”

“The girls though, were you there when…” he let the question hang in the air.

“I don’t remember anything you fuck,” Ruby was screaming now and people were starting to stop and watch the display. “Whatever you gave us that night was laced with something. Some baby E.R. doc lectured me about drugs and getting my friends killed while they fed me charcoal and pumped my stomach when it wasn’t me that got them killed it was you. This is all your fault!”

Ruby’s screams had subsided and she was crying steadily, “I’m done. You need to leave.”

Victor was stammering, but not really saying anything of note.

Regina had crossed the street, coffees in hand. She had a look on her face, the one that she used when the ranch hands were out of line- the one that the mere thought of kept almost anyone from stepping out of line. Victor looked torn for a moment, worry etched in his features.

“Ruby?” Regina’s voice was soft as she placed a hand on the small of Ruby’s back. Ruby leaned back into the touch trying to ignore the panic that was rising in her chest. She hoped that Regina hand’t overheard but she also hoped she had, it would save her the trouble of explaining what had happened. There was also the worry that she was reading too much into that simple touch. It was familiar and protective.

Regina looked from the taller girl to the boy who was clearly out of his element. She could feel the tension between them and noted the wet tear stains on Ruby’s cheeks. She hadn’t heard what had transpired but it was clear to here that it needed to be put to amend and she needed to get Ruby out of there.

“Ruby, just sit with me, an hour tops, please, tell me what you know. I swear it wasn’t me. _I swear it_.” 

Ruby clenched her jaw. She couldn’t do this, not yet. Even if she were ready it would never be okay between her and Victor again. Any trust she had given him had long since been broken.

“I think it’s time you left,” Regina took a step towards Victor, somehow seeming to look down at him despite being shorter. “She said she was done. You’d do well to respect that,” the last few words came out a low growl, her lip curling into a snarl. Regina had no patience for disrespect in any form. Victor took a  step back and Regina answered with a step of her own. “Was I unclear? Leave now.”

He didn’t quite turn and flee, but he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his unseasonable peacoat and quickly turn to walk the other direction. There was something in the way he departed so suddenly that made Ruby think he might leave her alone for good and that perhaps she could really live New York behind her. The thought didn’t leave her feeling hopeful though, as she would have expected, just sad.

Regina didn’t say anything as she led Ruby back to the truck. There was a fine line she was crossing between employer and friend. Those that worked her ranch had always been more than employees. They were her family. Ruby might be the newest member but that didn’t make hr any less family. It didn’t explain however her inexplicable desire to protect the girl. She suspected one day Ruby wouldn’t need protection, there was a fierce spirit in her that much was evident.

She started up the truck and put it in drive, the rest of the errands could wait. The radio was on but she turned it down low, wanting to give Ruby space and time to think. By the time they got on the road home again Ruby was clearly fighting back tears again.

“I know I’m your boss,” Regina spoke softly. But if you need a friend, I’m, well I’m here.”

Ruby quirked her head to look at the other woman, now wasn’t the time she wanted to figure out what they might really bet o each other. She felt vulnerable after the encounter with Victor, but deep down she wanted to throw away any sense of propriety they were holding onto and lose herself in someone else. Specifically in Regina’s arms. She sighed and reached out for Regina’s hand. Her fingers curling around the other woman’s, allowing herself to let the touch linger for more than a moment for the first time. Warmth flowed out of that simple touch. In that moment it was life. Regina’s thumb brushed the back of her fingers and she thought she might cry form the simple gesture.

“How much did you hear?”

“Just you telling him to leave.”

Ruby turned the words over in her head trying to think of what she could say, what she might be able to say. Her throat felt tight. No one had heard about that night, not from her anyway, and she doubted that anyone else knew as  much as she did about what happened that night. Nothing seemed quite right, but slowly she talked around the events of the evening. Ruby was thankful Regina listened quietly, only indicating she was listening and engaged with the smallest of indications. If Regina had interrupted her to ask any questions she would have lost her chance to say what she needed to. She might not have been able to finish at all. 

Ruby tried to watch Regina as she spoke wanting to see her reaction, constantly worried that she might say the not thing that would cause Regina to kick her out of the truck and off the farm. But with each painful detail came a reassuring squeeze of Regina’s fingers. Eventually Ruby found she couldn’t keep gauging reactions and continue talking. Her gaze settled on the passing landscape. The words tumbled out haphazardly, gradually trickling down to nothing by the end of her story; tears streamed down her face.

Regina kept an eye on the road but it was the kind of road you could drive every day for a month and only see three or four other cars. She glanced at Ruby, her heart breaking for the other woman as the story took shape. Tragedy was nothing new to her, but this was raw and harsh and harder than the realities she had faced herself.

Cora, Regina’s mother, had been the kind of woman who controlled every detail of everything that touched her life. Her daughter was no exception. There was never any questioning a decision she made. Cora had taken over operations on the farm the moment her marriage papers were signed. It had been the farm she wanted, not the husband, and definitely not the daughter. He had been a desperately submissive man, detrimental to his own existence. Henry Sr., let Cora control him, and the farm. 

When he died in a brutal accident, both he and Regina’s fiancé had been trampled to death by a heard of startled wild horses, the ownership of the farm had transferred to Regina. There had been a tiny clause in the papers that gave her ownership over her mother. After their deaths, there had been a long court battle and Mr. Gold had helped Regina fight her mother off. Since then, Regina had been mostly alone. Except for now.  

Regina rubbed her thumb across the back of Ruby’s knuckles, glancing down at their hands intertwined as they were. Sh might not have to be alone anymore. If she could convince herself to allow it to happen. Pursuing anything was a risk she wasn’t sure she was ready to take. 

Ruby had stopped talking and was crying silently as she held her gaze steadily out the window. Regina pulled her hand out of Ruby’s as she brought her truck to a stop along the side of the road. The only thing in sight were the rolling fields of Storybrooke Farm, and the Rock Mountains in the distance. She could feel Ruby’s gaze on her as she slowly undid her seatbelt and turned to face Ruby who was suddenly and adamantly looking out the window again. Her whole body was tense.

Regina reached out a hand, letting it hover just above Ruby’s arm for a moment before letting it drop into her own lap. She still hadn’t decided what she was doing. “Ruby?” Regina paused, wanting to see if the other girl would tear her gaze away from the fields. A moment passed, and then another. When Ruby finally did turn her eyes were rimmed red.

Ruby’s heart was pounding and she was terrified that after everything this would be the moment she lost what little she had left. She opened her mouth to talk but didn’t trust the words. Her lower lip trembled and she bit it to hide her fright. Too hard, she tasted blood.

“Ruby, the farm is your home now. You can stay here as long as you need. There will always be work if you’re willing to do it,” she held her gaze for a time, fighting the urge to lean forward and close the distance between them. 

Regina turned and put her seat belt back on. Her words had been more formal than she would have liked, the look on Ruby’s face made her want to scoop the girl up into her arms. Instead she reached out again, her fingers landing lightly on the back of Ruby’s forearm. Ruby inhaled sharply. Regina held her breath. Gently she traced her fingertips down her arm and interlaced their fingers. She lifted Ruby’s hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss against her knuckles.

Home. Regina had called Storybrooke Farm her home. Ruby’s eyes were transfixed on their hands as she watched Regina’s lips brush her skin. It was like an electric current through her. If they survived each other maybe Storybrooke Farm could really be just that, home.


	7. Chapter 7

“Ah, the infamous wolf girl is once again in her den,” Killian grinned as he leaned against the door frame. Ruby scowled, not bothering to look up.

All Ruby had wanted was a quiet night after running into Victor yesterday. She had managed to keep to herself all day, volunteering to go out and check on some fence lines. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to anyone but she didn’t want to risk working with Regina today. She was afraid of the look in Regina’s eyes. She didn’t want to see pity there. Especially now that it felt like there was something between them. The tension was stifling, but neither of them was willing to break it. So it was better just to avoid everyone.

Ruby continued folding her clothes, laundry had arrived sometime during the day and if she wanted a bed to sleep on it had to be done. She shoved her underwear under some shirts before pairing some socks in an attempt to not give Killian anything to comment on.

“You’ve been gone all day, I’ve missed that lovely scowl.” This had become Killian’s favorite pastime. He would feed her backhanded compliments and invade her space when no one else was there to watch him. In front of everyone else he treated her like one of the guys. If she had complained there would be no proof. She might as well have cried wolf.

“Well, you’ve seen it, you can leave now.” Ruby glanced up.

Killian sighed and took a few steps into the room taking her look as an invitation, “You know, you’re incredibly sexy when you’re angry.” He stopped in front of her, reaching down into her laundry pile. “I bet you would be even sexier in this.” Hooked around his finger was a pair of lace panties.

Ruby grabbed for her clothes but Killian pulled his arm out of reach. For half a second she considered lunging after them and tackling him to the ground in the process but the last thing she wanted to do was escalate this.

“You know, it’s not much of a turn on for me. Neither is,” she gestured at him vaguely, “that.”

“Did you just gesture at all of me?” He laughed but there was an edge of anger in his voice.

Ruby shrugged and turned back to folding.

“How easy would it be for me to ruin this all for you, and how easy would it be for you to keep your little secret? All you have to do is put on a show.” Killian stepped forward, reaching out to brush Ruby’s face with his fingertips. She recoiled as his fingers touched her face. For a moment she was frozen, his touch gentle, but it pained her to let it continue. She could easily give in and let him have what he wanted, keep this life, but at what cost she didn't want to know.

“Get out!” Ruby shoved Killian away from her.

“No need to-“ 

Ruby took a step back and grabbed for the nearest hard object, a glass on her nightstand, and threw it at Killian’s head. He dodged the glass and it shattered against the wall. “I said,  _out!_ ” She reached for the lamp, ready to throw it if Killian didn't retreat.

He stumbled backward out of the room, mumbling and cursing.

When she set the lamp down her hands were shaking. For a moment she just stared at them, only stopping to glance over at the shattered glass on the floor. No one came to check on her; she didn’t know if she wanted anyone to. She wanted to run to the main house, to Regina, but that was impossible and ridiculous. Yesterday Regina had just been kind, she didn’t need to deal with Ruby when everything in her head was falling apart. Not when the reason for her falling apart was everything she was trying to leave behind.

Ruby grabbed her things, shoving the clothes, folded and not into her duffle. She didn’t own much, and packing didn’t take much time. It was hot in the bunkhouse but she pulled her flannel back on and put on her boots. She hefted her bags onto her shoulder and hit the lights with her hand on her way out. Her boots crunched in the broken glass she hadn’t bothered to clean up. She almost turned back around to clean it up, hating to think that Regina might see it, but if she   didn’t do this now she wouldn’t have the energy to.

Ruby kept walking.

The sun had set, but it was still warm out. The kind of nighttime heat that can feel either suffocating or comforting. Thoughts raced through Ruby’s head. She wasn't quite sure where she would end up all she knew is that she couldn’t spend another night in the bunkhouse. Her footsteps were heavy and she found herself crawling up the ladder into the barn loft before she slowed down enough to realize what she had decided.

The barn was dark at night and Ruby could only see by the last threads of sunlight peering over the horizon. She slowed her manic pace and focused on getting up to the loft with all her bags. One hand above the last, slipping on dust from hay and dirt and disuse. Below, horses and gear were tightly packed, but up above there was space, and a view, and even a light breeze. Ruby let her bags drop, not minding where things landed. Regina had mentioned she could use the loft and she fully intended on taking advantage of that now. It was unlikely anyone would think to look for her here. She pulled out some of the old hay and made a nest throwing a couple blankets over the top of it, finishing it off with a couple of pillows. A tiny electric lantern gave off a feeble light.

“Better than nothing, better than some places I’ve slept.” Ruby sighed and slumped down onto the makeshift bed. She kicked off her boots and wriggled out of her pants before laying down. The sky outside was a dark orange, the kind you only see just after the sun had set, the end of another day. 

There was a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had let this place start to feel like home. It’s rolling hills were intimately familiar. The quiet on the farm was a soothing balm on her soul after New York City. Even having to be up before dawn each day was a comforting routine. And now she felt she would have to leave. Even though she had retreated to the barn loft she knew Killian would continue to pressure her. He was the kind of man who didn’t understand the word no or why it was being said.

Her heart was still beating hard in her chest. Her ears strained at every noise, listening for the tell tale sign of cowboy boots on the barn floor. All she heard were horses slowly drifting off to sleep and the crunch of dry hay as she shifted her weight. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. This place would never be home and she had been foolish to think it.

Ruby couldn’t let herself focus on the anger and the fear. Her mouth itched and tasted of cotton. Her muscles were tight and she ached with want for drugs she hadn’t touched in a year. She fetched out a water bottle and took a long drink, anything to distract herself. The sun had set, darkness overtaking the farm. The only light aside from the moon and stars her meager lamp and a few lights still on in the farmhouse. Regina must still be awake.

It wasn’t far from here, the farmhouse. She could make it up there in a few minutes, maybe Regina wouldn’t mind the late night company. They could have that drink. Ruby sighed and lay back down. It would be better to sleep off the day and start again tomorrow. Though she wouldn’t mind the company herself, anyone as long as it wasn’t him, she didn’t even want to think his name.. She took another sip of her water bottle and curled up in her nest, wishing sleep would overtake her.

Hours passed and Ruby didn’t notice the soft footsteps below her, or the creak of the ladder as they came up to the loft. She was caught in a half dream state, to worry ridden to fall asleep, too tired to stop worrying. Only when she felt the weight shift next to her did she bolt upright, heart racing, eyes wide and wild. Her breath came heavily. Her brain moved slowly, taking time to register who had crawled into her loft. For it was already hers, even though she didn’t know if this place was home anymore.

Regina placed a light hand over Ruby’s heart, easing her back into a more relaxed position. “Breathe, it’s just me.” Her hand hovered, fingertips just brushing the bare skin above Ruby’s tank top.

Ruby watched Regina for a moment, just taking in the sight as she talked her mind back from the panic of having thought Killian had found her. Her heart thudded, as if it was trying to leap out of her chest and into the other woman’s hand.

“I saw the lamp and thought you might be out here.” In the dim light Regina looked softer, happy, though there was a hint of nervous energy in the way she moved and talked.”I noticed it was your birthday when I was going through paperwork this morning.” Her hand slowly fell, worrying at the hem of her dress.

“Not until tomorrow.” Ruby frowned slightly, she hadn’t told anyone about it being her birthday. Honestly, she had forgotten, there hadn’t been much to celebrate lately. But this, she looked Regina over, taking in the faded floral summer dress that caressed her curves and her bare feet.  There was a light in her eyes that Ruby had only ever seen directed at her. Ruby took a deep breath and tried to push the troubles of the past few days out of her mind. A bottle of champagne rested at the end of the makeshift bed. Regina’s hand was dangerously close to hers. She inhaled deeply, catching the light lavender scent of Regina’s perfume and tried not to smile. Ruby bit her lower lip. It wouldn’t be so bad to celebrate this.

“It’s past midnight.” Regina smirked then looked away as she reached for the champagne with one hand and a small box with another. “I didn't have time to get you anything but I thought-“

Ruby took the small brown box and untied the red bow, carefully pulling off the lid.  “Cake!” Her heart leapt, a pang of hope. The terror of her last couple days released just enough. She looked up into Regina’s eyes and wanted to spend a lifetime just as they were. It had been a long time since someone had taken the time to notice her like this.

“Chocolate cake. I hope it’s okay. I didn’t know what flavor you liked and I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

Ruby nearly kissed Regina. Her body had already moving forward before her brain caught up. It was a moment, she could take it if she wanted, but by the time her brain had processed what was going on she had frozen, afraid to move forward, but afraid to pull back. She covered the movement by rearranging herself, so she sat more comfortably and more closely to Regina. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to close that distance, but she could feel the fear that she was the only one who wanted to, shake her. 

A look of anticipation faded from Regina’s face. The movement had not gone unnoticed in its intent. Turning her attention to the champagne she slowly worked the cork free of the bottle, barely keeping it from careening off and startling the horses below. “To the birthday girl,” Regina handed the bottle to Ruby. “I forgot to grab glasses, only so many hands, so we’ll have to make do.”

Ruby took the bottle her fingers brushing against Regina's and took a drink, tipping her head back. The bubbles rushed into her mouth and tickled the back of her throat, a thousand tiny stars alive and bursting, giving their life to make her feel alive in that instant. She handed the bottle back a giddy smile on her face. The pain of the last two days and left her raw, and her emotions rolled from one in of the spectrum to the other. Regina’s kindness was a salve, yet again saving her from herself. 

Regina tipped her head back as she took a drink but didn't let her eyes wander far from Ruby. She leaned forward as she set the bottle down, her free hand rested on top of one of Ruby’s. She didn’t stop, rising onto her knees. “There’s one more thing.” Taking the box from Ruby she set it aside and reached up to rest a hand against her cheek. Regina’s heartbeat thudded in her ears and she could feel it echoed in the other woman. For a moment she hesitated, searching Ruby’s eyes for hesitation. She found none.

The first kiss was a gentle press of lips full of nerves and unspoken questions. Regina curled her fingertips around Ruby’s hair and Ruby responded by pressing forward. Her hand rested on Regina’s thigh. It felt like the summer had been building to this moment. Every lingering glance and not so subtle lingering touch, culminating in the loft of the barn, in that kiss. The heat of the night pressed on them as they melted together, lips parting in a slow exploration. There would be time enough for them. In that moment they had the rest of the summer.

Ruby pressed a hand against Regina's sternum, fingers drumming in frustration. She bit her lip, steeling her nerve. She didn't want the kiss to end, but she couldn't let it go further, not tonight. Her mind was racing from Victor and Killian, and the heady feeling Regina gave her whenever she was near. "I can't, not tonight." Ruby rested her forehead against Regina s for a moment. "After Victor yesterday and Killian today-"

Regina pulled back, eyes wide, "Killian?"

Ruby shrugged and looked away immediately regretting bringing him up. The moment things started working out she had to ruin them. She let out a long breath, "He's been harassing me for a while. Nothing I'm not used to. I was a model before and a lot of my early work was risqué.” She couldn’t bring herself to look Regina in the eyes.

"I know, about the modeling, not the harassment. Why didn't you come to me sooner?”

"It was nothing I couldn't handle.” Ruby shrugged again and scowled at herself. She pulled her hands into her lap, trying to make herself smaller. This is exactly what she hadn’t wanted. She didn’t want Regina to see her as a victim. It wasn’t until Regina reached out to pull her into an embrace that Ruby realized she had begun to cry.


	8. Chapter 8

“Miss Lucas, could you come over and help me with this?” Regina called from the other side of the tractor where she had been fiddling with the new hose that needed to be attached. This was the fourth time they had woken up to a mysteriously broken machine. Everyone on the farm was quickly becoming an expert in quick machine repair.

It had been nearly a month since Ruby’s birthday and mostly it had passed in waves of hard work and heart stuttering bliss. There was a desperation in the air, a scramble of sacrifice to save the farm. They were one man short thanks to Killian, but that only made them want to succeed more. Regina had also been diligently working to secure early payment contracts so she could put up the money for this year’s crop against what she owed the bank and Mr. Gold. Just this morning she had received a verbal conformation from one of they buyers and was waiting on the contracts to be faxed over. She was on cloud nine. As soon as the contract arrived Mr. Gold wouldn’t be able to touch them.

Ruby swung down from her horse, Spirit, and rounded the tractor, “And what is it this time, Ms. Mills?” she asked, emphasizing the other woman’s last name. Regina had a habit of calling her by her last name when the others were around, but right now they were alone. This was the fourth mechanical failure they had needed to fix this week alone and yet Regina sounded happy.

“Regina,” she corrected, her voice light.

“Well, if you are going to insist on calling me Miss Lucas. I’ll have to insist on calling you Ms. Mills.” Ruby teased. The last month had been a cautious exploration of each other, stealing kisses before dinner on Sunday nights and staying up too late talking and kissing when Regina snuck out to Ruby’s loft. Regina upheld a strict no fraternizing rule between her employees and she didn’t want to be the first one caught breaking it.

Regina closed the distance between them in two easy strides, pressing the taller woman hard against the tractor. Leaning her weight against her she ran her fingers gently against Ruby’s cheek before tangling them at the hair at the nape of her neck. Their mouths crashed together for a heated kiss. Regina’s free hand tugged Ruby’s flannel free from her jeans and slid underneath it her fingers caressing the soft skin of her stomach. Ruby grinned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Regina pulling her in close.

The sound of a truck engine grew closer. That sound meant the boys were back with lunch. Regina pulled back, ending the kiss just as quickly as she had started it. Ruby sighed her disappointment into the now empty space in front of her. Eyes half-closed and lips parted, Ruby looked thoroughly disheveled. With a quick nod of her head Regina indicated that Ruby should get back to work before the others arrived. The younger woman glared in response and stuck out her tongue but couldn’t help smiling as she tucked her shirt back in.

This is how it had been between them, teasing and touching as long as no one else saw. Ruby ran her fingers through her hair and fixed her ponytail. Her stomach fluttered as she watched Regina walk away; she would never tire of that view. The teasing was proving to be tormenting. She ached for more after just a single kiss. Never before had she felt this way about another woman. There was something about the passion in Regina’s eyes that drew her in like no one else ever had. Ruby sighed, bit her lip, and stole one last glance over her shoulder before turning back to work.

She couldn’t shake the thought of Regina pressed against her. Regina had been nothing but respectful since Ruby had told her to wait. So many nights she had felt Regina pull back, waiting for Ruby to cross that line she had drawn between them first and each time Ruby had been afraid to take that step, but oh how she wanted to.

Things on the ranch were safe for now and she felt like maybe her life was starting to turn around. After her first night in the loft she had turned up for work and Killian had been gone. Sometime between leaving her asleep in the loft and sunrise Regina had escorted him off the property. The ranch was home now. For once maybe nothing would change. Maybe she could have a home again. Ruby’s hands fell idle as she watched Regina, her heart swelling at the idea of calling this place home. This woman made it home. This was love. And it was real.

Regina could feel Ruby’s eyes on her as she walked over to check on Luc. The girl was proving more of a distraction that she could ever have imagined and yet it was more than just a distraction. She never let anyone be more distracting than a passing dalliance. Not once since she had started on her mission to keep her farm from her mother had she let anyone take her attention for long. The weight of losing her father’s legacy, letting anyone take it from her, the thought of it crushed her. She had signed that deal with Mr. Gold to save the farm and he had only helped her so he could steal from her one day. Now though she had what she needed to push back. For the first time in months Regina felt like she could breathe and that she had space to live. She leaned her cheek against Luc’s flank and looked back at Ruby where she sat trying to affix the new hose. Ruby had given her that space to breathe. She shouldn’t have had time to let her in like that, but there it all was in front of her. For once she felt like she was just going with life instead of fighting against it.

The truck shuddered to a stop next to the tractor. The peeling green of the tractor no worse than the once red peeling paint of the truck. It sputtered as the engine died. Only time would tell if the thing would start again. Usually it did, but not always.

Lunch was quiet. Regina had yet to tell the boys that she had found a way to save the farm. The news was burning a hole in her but until the money transferred into her bank account she couldn’t risk believing it was truly real. There was so much at risk. She glanced up at Ruby. If the farm were to fail everything she had built and earned would be gone. Her contacts and their hard won trust, every skill she had would be useless out in the real world. She could never work on someone else’s farm. This was home and she would die to protect it.

By the time lunch ended the sun was high in the sky, beating down on the crew mercilessly. The weight of the summer pressed down on them. They were one man short and it felt like there was twice as much work to be down now that Killian was gone. Some of the men were angry, others grim and resilient. Not one and been told why Regina had personally escorted him off the property. Ruby was afraid of what they would think of her. Regina hadn’t been worried about the rest of her crew but she didn’t want to give the other woman any more reasons to worry.

While the boys had regarded their lunch, Regina and Ruby took turns watching each other. Everyone was so wrapped up in their own thoughts that it wasn't until they heard a faint boom from the direction of the machine shed that anyone looked outside their circle.

A slow plume of smoke rose, either from the shed ora another tractor it was impossible to tell from this distance. Everyone sprang into action. Regain raced for Luc and most of the men ran for the truck.

“Ruby, take the truck. I’ll ride Spirit,” David half yelled as they both rushed towards the startled horse.

“That thing is a death trap. I’ll take Spirit, at least I know what to expect from her.” Ruby reached Spirit first and jumped nimbly out of the way as the horse nipped at her. She shot David a look as if to say I told you so and turned back to trying to calm the mare down enough to mount.

Ruby arrived at the machine shed just behind Regina at a full gallop. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the silhouette of a figure disappearing across the horizon, their mystery vandal.

That afternoon’s chores were never finished. Instead the crew spent the time containing a few small fires and make sure they didn’t lose any more machinery. Regina was furious, unable to contain her anger. She snapped at everyone as they attempted to contain the fire and assess the damage. By sundown the fires were out and everything that  could be salvaged, which was almost everything, but not quite, had been saved. It would cost them in time though when it came to the harvest, which meant they wouldn’t make as much this year. 

The men offered to take turns on watch, making sure the miscreant didn’t return to finish what he started. Regina had retreated to her house after the third time she had nearly verbally decapitated someone and Ruby had been left to wander back to the bunkhouse by herself for a long, well deserved, shower. 

As she headed to her loft for the night her gaze shifted to the main house. The lights were still on and she could see Regina’s shadow moving through her second floor bedroom window. She slowed to a stop and watched. She shouldn’t have but she did, afraid if she had stopped walking she would walk right up to that room. Regina was undressing for bed and Ruby could feel the ache in her bones to go up there grow stronger. She wanted to curl herself around the other woman. She also really wanted to sleep in a real bed again, somewhere with air conditioning.

The air that night was thick and humid like a storm was about to roll in. Already she felt sticky and dirty despite having just showered. Maybe she could convince Regina to let her use her oversized tub. A bath would be amazing. Ruby sighed, turned, and walked up the path to the barn.

From her loft bed she watched the lights in the farm house extinguish one by one like stars burning out. She looked up to the sky and wondered if she had ever seen so many stars before in her life. Even a night of the full moon, like tonight, there were thousands of stars lighting up the sky. It was dark but never truly dark. Except when a storm rolled in. 

A dark patch stained the horizon and was spreading across the sky quickly. The heat and damp in the ai pressed down on Ruby’s skin, enveloping her like she was immersed in it. Unable to get comfortable she stripped down to her underwear hoping a breeze would come when the storm got closer, anything to release the pressure building up around her.

Ruby needed a release from the relentless assault of the heat. She covered her eyes with her arm, blocking out the stars, praying for a breeze to hit. She missed the dark figure moving quickly across the farm toward the barn. 

Regina’s footsteps were light on the barn floor, an occasional creak and sweep of hay. Most of her movement were covered up by the sound of the wind as it started to pick up, bringing the storm to the farm. She could hear Ruby tossing and turning in the loft above, still awake, tormented as she was by the heat. Her dress clung too her damp already with the humid air. In one hand dangled a bottle of whiskey, the cork left behind in her kitchen. Regina had pulled it down to calm her nerves but found herself wanting company more than the slow burn of whiskey. Her free hand brushed a stray hair from her face as she steeled her resolve. Slowly she started her ascent.

“Ruby?” Regina asked as she crawled into the loft, kneeling beside Ruby’s supine figure. 

Before Ruby opened her eyes a smile crept over her face and she pushed up onto her elbows. “Hi.” Ruby took in the sight of Regina above her, a faded straw colored dress dotted with rust colored flowers that had thinned with age. Ruby had never seen her in anything so simple and light. She dressed for practicality most of the time. In the dress all her hard angles softened. Ruby found herself staring. The dress clung to every curve. Damp curls escaped a messy bun and stuck to the edge of her face and neck. The buttons down the front of the dress were undone low enough she had a glimpse of a wine colored lace bra. Ruby’s heart sped up and she wondered if it was part of a matching set. Regina’s muscled arms were bare and the sight of so much lean muscle made her sigh. She had forgotten completely that she was lying on the floor in nothing but red lace and not much of it at that.

“Hi,” Regina replied, equally entranced by the length of Ruby’s tan body laid out beneath her. She was little more than muscle and skin and it shone in the dim light of the loft. The tiny lantern casting shadows and making sweat glisten. In all their nights together they had yet to undress, not once had they seen each other like this: vulnerable in a way that intimacy demanded. Her breath caught in her throat, “You’re beautiful.”

Ruby blushed, but the grin that followed was cheeky. “You’re only saying that because I’m in my underwear.”

“Looks more like lingerie to me.” Regina bit her lip.

Ruby sat up and stretched, arching her back. “Well, that either makes me underdressed or you severely overdressed,” she reached out and gently grabbed the front of Regina’s dress and pulled her down for a kiss. “I’ve been wanting to do that again all day.”

Regina curled into the spot on the makeshift bed next to Ruby, leaning against her side. She took a sip of the whiskey and passed the bottle to Ruby who took a drink in turn. Ruby winced as it burned her throat, but took another sip before passing it back.

“It’s been a hell of a day. I still don’t know who tried to sabotage the farm.” 

“You don’t figure it was Mr. Gold? Maybe he heard you nearly had the money.” Ruby turned to face Regina. Rightness the last thing she wanted to think about was Mr. Gold, or money, not with Regina this close to her and undressed as she was. Regina tilted her head in thought and Ruby stared at the expanse of exposed neck.

Regina shook her head and took another sip of whiskey as she lay her hand on Ruby’s thigh. “I don’t want to think about that imp or anything else anymore tonight.” Her hand was rough from years of hard work but her touch was soft as velvet against Ruby’s skin. Deep inside she needed to feel alive and no one had ever made her feel like Ruby did. Her life was more than the farm.

Ruby dropped her head down and placed her lips agenst Regina’s neck. “Me either,” she whispered, running her tongue across the taut muscle. She kissed her way back up to Regina’s mouth, a hand coming up to tangle in her hair. She tasted like whiskey. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance. Regina set the whiskey bottle down and Ruby pulled her into her lap. Regina sat straddling Ruby, the girl’s hands holding onto her hips. She broke the kiss and looked up at the woman above her, not quite believing what was happening to be real. Her hands slid down Regina’s thighs until they hit skin and started working their way up under her dress.

“One of us is still severely misclothed.”

Nodding Regina began unbuttoning her dress, letting it fall open as she painstakingly undid each button. Her hips rolled in small circles as her hands moved lower, button by button. Ruby was entranced. Regina was more beautiful than she had imagined, if that were possible. She had never wanted another woman like this. As each button came undone she did a little bit more too. Nervous energy built up and spilled over her as Regina slipped off her dress and dropped it next to the whiskey. 

Reaching down she placed her hand softly on Ruby’s stomaching, still rolling her hips. She watched Ruby watch her until their eyes met. There was a spark and warmth in them that Ruby lost herself in. Regina was so very alive in that moment and her passion was contagious. Ruby bit her bottom lip, trying to will her body to respond to her mind, to move her hands and feel the skin that had been offered up to her. Regina was so confident and sure in everything she did and Ruby felt her inexperience weighing on her. Oh, but how she wanted Regina. Her skin was impossibly soft, laugh lines ghosted the corners of her eyes and mouth, and her hair spilled over one shoulder having escaped from the bun. Regina flexed her fingers, pressing her nails into the taut skin of Ruby’s stomach.

Regina’s lips parted slightly as she felt Ruby start to move beneath her, falling into rhythm. She leaned over and kissed Ruby, her hands resting on her waist, nails catching lightly on her skin. The world spun down to that single moment, bodies already slick in the humid heat of the storm that was now crashing around them. The electricity in the air driving them forward, feeding their energy. The rumble and shake of the storm matching their own fevered movement. The horrors of the day stripped and washed away as they forgot the world. They were all that existed. Hands kneaded skin and skin needed skin. 

Finger tips traced the edges of lace panties and bras before flicking open clasps and tugging the  thin garments off. Words gave way to moans as words lost meaning. The feeling for what they were and what they needed was more than language could capture. Regain’s hand slid down between Ruby’s legs, hesitating just as she could feel the heat radiating from her, stilling her hand even as she was desperate to touch her. Ruby arched forward trying to close that last distance but Regina held back.

“Is it-?” Regina waited for Ruby to focus. They had always stopped before letting themselves get this far.

Ruby nodded unable to form a coherent thought beyond her nee. She wanted Regina’s hands on her, wanted her mouth on hers, on her skin. She wanted desperately. She realized Regina was waiting for a verbal response. One of them had always stopped before things got this far since that first kiss on her birthday.

Ruby shifted to sit up, her hands coming to frame Regina’s face. Lightly she pressed their lips together trying to pour all the emotions she felt into the gesture. She had never been more sure of anything, even with the butterflies still circling in her stomach. Pausing to take a deep breath, Ruby pulled back so she could look Regina in the eye.

“I want you, Regina. I-“ Ruby bit her lip. “I’ve never been with another woman.” Nerves fluttered and she blushed. Maybe it was a little late for such reactions as they wee already naked and tangled together, Regina’s hand still resting inches from her sex, but something in the admission left her feeling vulnerable. 

“That’s all right.” Regina whispered as she pressed forward and captured Ruby’s mouth with her own. Her tongue demanded entrance to her mouth as her fingers teased her lips apart between her legs. Gently Regina lay them back down on the makeshift bed. She poured life into the kiss and the touch that followed. 

Her attention moved lower first to Ruby’s breasts, taking her nipples delicately between her teeth. Then the flat plain of her stomach, gentle hills of muscle that she traced with her tongue. As she moved lower she nudged Ruby’s legs apart and turned her full attention to her sex. Her tongue lapped the length of her slit before circling her clit. Slowly she slid one finger inside, curling it and stroking Ruby from the inside as she sucked and licked.

Ruby pulled Regina up to her, wanting to kiss her as she felt the other woman move inside her. Reaching between them she mirrored Regina’s movements, earning her a sharp gasp. The storm rolled around them, thunder shaking the building as lighting threw shadows of the shapes their bodies made against the walls of the loft as they rolled together. Heat from the storm broke over them, followed by a warm summer breeze, pulling them deeper into their desire. Bodies slick with sweat slid together as they rolled, climaxing with the storm. 

Regina collapsed onto Ruby’s breast, their eyes unfocused and breath ragged. The storm rolled out, receding from the farm and leaving rain in its wake. Ruby smiled into her damp hair and kissed her on the top of the head. How many endless summer nights had she dreamed about this as they returned to their own beds? They could have found comfort in each other, both woman needed this. Ruby had been hesitant at first, unsure and wanting to be enough. Regina knew Ruby would always be enough.


	9. Chapter 9

Ruby smiled into the crook of Regina’s arm as she woke up. Light peaked through the windows, spilling across the king sized bed. They had been sharing the farm house and Regina’s bed since the Sunday after the storm. At first they had meant to take things slow, keep their relationship private, they both had scars that ran deep and they didn’t want to ruin what they had. Then that Sunday night at dinner David had walked in on them sneaking kisses in the kitchen. Ruby had turned red and Regina had tried to find the words to explain but he had only shrugged it off and said everyone knew already. They had just been waiting for Regina and Ruby to figure it out for themselves. Ruby had half hidden herself behind Regina as they made their way back into the dining room hand in hand. It felt like family that night as they ate. After dinner she had retrieved her things from the loft in the barn and moved into the farm house. It had been almost exactly a month since that day.

Of course it hadn’t all been domestic bliss and spending too much time in Regina’s oversized bed. They both fought for things to work but there was so much pain in their past and they were always inclined to believe the worst. That morning though, everything was as it should be. Ruby stretched and wrapped her arm around Regina’s waist, snuggling in closer. She turned her head to kiss her shoulder. Nothing was as luxurious as waking up on Sunday mornings next to Regina. With little to do on their days off they would stay in bed all morning until one of them begged for food.

Ruby kissed Regina’s collar bone and then up the length of exposed neck until she reached her love’s ear. She felt the other woman stir beside her and she flicked her tongue out catching Regina’s ear lobe and sucking on it gently before slowly releasing it. Ruby sighed and kissed Regina’s cheek. There was nothing she found more beautiful than the woman beside her as she woke up. Any other day Regina would demand coffee before kisses, but Sunday mornings they stayed in bed long after the sun was high in the sky. 

Regina wrapped her arms around Ruby and languidly kissed her, still not quite awake. There was no rush. She pulled Ruby down on top of her, taking her weight, and pressed kisses to her collarbone, her neck, her chin, before turning and burring her face in the crook of Ruby’s neck.

The last month had transformed Regina’s life and she was amazed by it every day. She never imagined that she would find love again after Daniel was killed. Until this summer she wasn’t really sure she would be able to save the farm. She had come so close to losing everything and then It had all fallen into place. The farm would be hers, the mysterious sabotage attempts had ended, though the culprit was still at large, and she hadn’t had a visit from Mr. Gold in weeks. Maybe her mother had finally given up her futile attempts to take over Storybrooke farm.

Regina’s stomach rumbled loud enough to make Ruby laugh.

“Food?” Ruby asked as she pushed up on her forearms to kiss Regina on the nose.

Regina groaned and tightened her grip on Ruby, “I suppose.”

Ruby tipped her head down and pressed her lips to Regina’s. The kiss was slow and passionate, a promise for later. She felt Regina relax into her and she moved her hands to Regina’s waist, already distracted from the idea of food by kisses. She sighed happily.

There was a knock on the front door. Ruby sat upright and Regina was already sliding out of bed before she could ask who it might be. It wasn’t likely to be one of the farm hands. After Billy had walked in on them one Sunday morning as they were halfway undressed and Regina had Ruby pinned down on the island in the kitchen they had learned to call before they came up to the farm house. Regina checked her phone, no new texts, no missed calls. So whoever was here didn’t work here. She turned and placed a kiss on Ruby’s forehead.

“I’ll be right back,” she turned to hurry down the stairs still buttoning her shirt and tucking it into her jeans.

Ruby stretched and yawned, taking her time to get up. She made her way to the dresser where her things were. Regina had insisted almost immediately that Ruby take over part of the closet space. It had all happened so quick, moving from dancing around the idea of each other to sharing their lives completely. They were still sorting out how it all worked out, still trying to figure out if it did. She grabbed a flannel and pulled it on, leaving it unbuttoned, not bothering with much more for now until she wandered downstairs. She flopped back down on the bed. If Regina wasn’t back in five minutes she would find pants and follow her downstairs. Maybe there was something that would need attending to even though it was Sunday, which was a strictly no business day on Storybrooke Farm.

Ruby closed her eyes and threw an arm over her face. She smiled. Her legs dangled over the edge of the bed. Never before had a bed been as comfortable. She had never slept better in her life. Maybe it was the bed but maybe it was the woman she shared it with. For the first time since her granny had passed she felt home and she felt safe.

There were footsteps on the stairs. She heard the door push open and someone slip into the room. Still groggy with sleep she assumed it was Regina until the smell hit her. Whoever it was smelled like rum.

Killian leaned over Ruby, pressing his weight into her. He held her arms to the bed with one hand and covered her mouth with the other. His breath smelled like alcohol.

“I bet you thought you would never see me again.”

Ruby thrashed, trying to scream and trying to escape. His weight pinned her down, his pelvis pressed against hers. She tried to turn her face away, look anywhere but his face, avert her eyes and maybe she could ignore the smell of rum on his breath. Something to distract from knowing that the harder she struggled the more he enjoyed it.

Killian dropped his mouth to her ear, “Just think of how much easier this would be if you just gave in and enjoyed your dirty side. Don’t scream now.” He removed his hand from her mouth and ran it down her side, painfully groping her breast in the process. Ruby screamed. “Quiet now. I know you have one, wolf girl.”

“Fuck you!” Ruby tried to wrench free of his grasp, trying to find any leverage that would give her an advantage and help her escape. Killian’s breath was wet on her neck. He had pushed aside the flannel, his hands were rough on her skin. Ruby could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the panic rising. She needed this to stop. 

Killian was kissing her now, his hands, both of them, wandering down her body. Ruby pushed at his shoulders, pushing him up, be he was relentless, drunk, and he outweighed her. They slid toward the edge of the bed and Ruby finally found enough footing to push him off of her. She slid the rest of the way to the floor.

He was on her again in an instant, his hands on her hips, pulling her back, tearing at her underwear.

“Don’t you see, wolf girl, this is all your fault. If you had just kept your pretty little mouth shut then I would still have my job and Cora wouldn’t have any leverage.”

Ruby pulled her elbow back, connecting it to Killian’s nose. She clawed at the carpet, trying to get away, kicking her legs back as he tried to pin her down. Killian lunged forward, collapsing on top of Ruby. They hit the bedside table, and the lamp knocked over, smacking him in the head. Ruby staggered to her feet, and grabbed the lamp.

Killian stood, and tackled Ruby, sending them crashing again into the beside table. It splintered and cracked under their combined weight. Ruby’s head smacked against the wall and for a moment her vision went black. Pain tore through her side. Her skin burned with it and she wasn’t sure that the only thing that had broken was the side table. Pushing Killian off her, Ruby stood again. He wasn’t far behind. As he made a grab for her she smacked him upside the head with the lamp. It shattered. He fell. She ran.

Ruby’s feet barely touched the ground as she fled down the stairs. At the bottom she slowed her pace, placing a hand to her side. It was slick with blood. Her head swam. There were voices in the kitchen. Her entire side throbbed, the nerves on overload. She stumbled into the kitchen and pressed a bloody hand against the white wall. She would have to clean that up later.

The room fell silent and Ruby heard Regina’s voice, muffled. She looked up and for a moment wished Killian had knocked her unconscious, because whatever he would have done to her would not have been as terrible as the scene before her.

Mr. Gold was holding Regina. One hand over her mouth, the other held a blade to her throat, a thin trickle of blood already spilling down her neck. Her eyes were wide with fear, her muscles tensed to fight, even though she was powerless to. Regina’s mother, Cora, stood next to them, prim and proper and looking like a rich rancher man’s wife. She looked pleased with herself.

Ruby made a move toward Regina, “Let her go!”

“Not so quickly,” Cora said as she stepped forward.

“I see Killian found you. Do you really think you’re any match for us in your current state of undress?”

Ruby glanced down. She was still in only her underwear, her flannel unbuttoned. Her torso was red with blood. Her blood. Her head swam and throbbed, reminding her of the blow she’d just suffered. She took a staggering step and leaned heavily against the kitchen island. As she looked up she met Regina’s gaze. Regina’s eyes were wide in horror and rimmed red. Whatever had transpired while Killian had been sent to occupy her had made Regina cry. What did they want? Ruby let out a ragged breath, afraid; Regina did not cry easily.

“What do you want?” she sounded braver than she felt.

“It is rather simple dear. I am here to take what is mine, or ruin it for my darling daughter here.” Cora ran a finger down Regina’s cheek. Regina clenched her jaw and glared at her mother, unable to speak for the knife at her throat and the hand over her mouth.

“But you can’t. Legally Storybrooke is Regina’s.”

“Oh but how you lack imagination.” Mr. Gold laughed.

“You need to leave,” Ruby slipped open a drawer and grabbed a large kitchen knife, holding the blade out, ready to strike like she had been taught. Blade away from you, and punch.

“Now I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Mr. Gold pulled Regina’s head back, exposing more of her neck.

“We’ll have you arrested.” Ruby wasn’t sure how they could get the police out to the farm in time but there had to be something they could do.

“And what good would that do you, girl? Regina would still be dead.”

“Then what is it you want from us?” 

“You have two options. One you stay, Regina dies and I get the farm. Or two, you leave and you never return. Something tells me that the farm won’t mean as much to Regina once it has cost her the person she loves not once, but twice. Either way, I win.” Cora’s smile was sickening.

The fight went out of Ruby. She dropped the knife to the counter and looked to Regina. She swallowed hard. Leaving would kill her, but staying would mean Regina’s death. There was something in Cora’s voice that suggested she wasn’t bluffing. She would murder her own daughter if it meant she could get the farm.

Regina struggled against Mr. Gold’s grip and he clucked his tongue at her. “Now dearie, this isn’t your decision to make. You know your mother only wants what’s best for you and some washed up, drug addicted former model is so far beneath you.”

“I raised you better than that. At least with Daniel you had the sense to pick someone of an appropriate sex.”

While Mr. Gold and Cora talked Regina and Ruby were watching each other, silently trying to find a plan, an idea, of a way out. They were trapped.

“How will I know you’ll leave Regina alone if I leave?”

“You’ll just have to trust us,” Cora smiled again and it made Ruby’s stomach turn. 

Regina made a noise, if a warning or just a sound of disbelief, it was hard to tell.

“Because if you just once try to make contact she dies. Do you understand?”

Ruby nodded, “Okay. Okay.” She hung her head unable to look at Regina. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces and she couldn’t stop it. The blood loss made her head spin. Her home was being ripped away from her yet again. Just as she had found it everything came apart. Everyone she loved died. But maybe she could save Regina.

“Now.” Cora said impatiently. 

Taking a deep breath Ruby looked up to meet Regina’s eyes. For a moment it was just them. Tears streamed down Regina’s face and Ruby started to cry. An invisible hand crushed her heart. Regina struggled and against Mr. Gold. The blade bit into her throat and another thin trickle of blood ran down her neck. Ruby couldn’t find the will to speak, but she mouthed the words _I love you_.

“That’s enough.” Cora stepped forward and pushed Ruby out of the room. She let her stop by the bathroom to grab the first aid kit, and a pair of leggings, but nothing else. Every movement sent pain shooting through Ruby and she didn’t know what hurt worse her side, her head, or her heart.

“She can never find you,” Cora stopped Ruby before she walked out the front door.

“What do you mean?”

“You leave and you disappear. If I can find you, just once, she dies.”

Ruby nodded and finished wrapping the ace bandage around her torso, most of the blood was cleaned up, but it still ached. She moved slow, trying to figure out a way she could get back to see Regina one more time.

“Hurry it up, girl.”

“Just give me the keys.”

Cora tossed her the keys to the old red truck. Ruby’s heart broke as she limped out the front door. The only thought driving her forward instead of to her knees was the hope that Regina would live if she left. She closed her eyes, but all she saw was the blood on Regina’s neck so she opened them again. Everything looked bleak.


	10. Chapter 10

_Present Day_

I woke up. 

I was alive.

My mouth tasted and felt like cotton balls, my head pounded. I hadn’t expected to ever wake up again. Conscious, barely. The bed was soft. A hand placed a cool cloth on my forehead. Ice touched the back of my neck, the inside of my thigh. Clothes were gone. The hands dripped water into my mouth slowly. I strained to swallow. My eye lids fluttered. The room was bright and someone sat on the bed next to me. She murmured something about how she had fallen in love and then I had left. It killed her. Around me it smelled like home. Panic welled in my chest, if I was home, she was in danger. Her voice was soothing as she pressed cold to me, soon I fell back into the black.

I woke up again.

It was a slow process. Home. It smelled like horses. I had seen her face. Heard her voice. _Her voice._ I had to have hallucinated. The heat. I couldn’t move. Wheat. It smelled like wheat. I managed to open my eyes just the slightest bit. They were dry and burned. I shut them tight, willing tears to form. Hands replaced the warm cloth on my head with a cool one. Water was dripped into my mouth again. Eye drops were placed in the corner of each eye. I tried to blink. The room was bright. For a moment I saw her face. I must still be hallucinating. I had to be hallucinating.

Again I woke up. 

Every time I was slightly less surprised that I was alive, and more worried that we might be in danger. I could move my fingers and toes, though every muscle strained. I blinked and thankfully my eyelids didn’t feel like sandpaper anymore. The room was dark and cool. Night. I stretched and turned on my side. On the other side of the king size bed, clad only in a flannel and panties, dark hair tousled and curled around her face, full lips parted in sleep, was the one person I never thought I would see again. The only person I could never see again. Even in sleep she reached out across the bed as if to comfort me, to makes sure I was still there, but kept far enough away as if she wasn’t sure of my response. There was a time neither of us would have hesitated. My heart felt like it would burst and in that moment I was both infinitely happy and terribly afraid.

I must have made some small noise because she opened her eyes, waking.

“You’re awake. Thank god.” She made a move toward me but stopped part way, her hand barely a few inches from mine on the duvet. Lines of worry were etched on her face. Her fingers curled up as if she were afraid she would involuntarily reach for me again. “You’ve been out for over a day. When I found you, I didn’t. I–I sent for the doctor. It’s just we’re–“

“A thousand miles from nowhere, I know,” I managed a small smile but my eyes started to close. “I should leave before,” my voice faltered.

“What were you doing out there? No one ever comes up that road. If I hadn’t been checking on the fence–” 

I reached out my fingers to brush hers, “Coming home.” I mumbled. Sleep was over taking me again. I tried to fight. 

“She’s gone you know. Jail.” Regina moved to the center of the bed and pulled me into a full body embrace; her cheek was wet against my shoulder, her arms strong and safe. I stopped fighting. Maybe it was safe.

Awake.

Her arms were around me, one leg thrown over the top of mine. The room was dim and the sky outside looked like sunset. I wonder if she had stayed there all day. Regina rarely took days off, working incessantly with the farm hands to ensure the crop was taken care of. My head was pounding, and I was sure I could drink a few gallons of water if someone let me, but I was alive. Nothing had ever felt so right as her arms around me. But how had we gotten like this.

_Coming home._

I had told her I was coming home and she had said Cora was in jail.

I didn’t even know if that were true. Not consciously. Shit. But here I was, and however uncomfortable I felt right this moment I still did not want to move. I wanted my mind to quiet down. I wanted to feel her wrapped around me, pressed against me. I wanted to feel well enough to fuck her senseless. Of course that was entirely out of the question. She would never forgive me for leaving like I did.

I still hadn’t.

I had done exactly what they told me, I had never once looked back. If it meant she was alive somewhere it was worth it. I could feel tears start to form.

I tried to move out from under her embrace without waking her but the moment I did I felt her arms tighten. “Please stay,” she murmured into my arm. “Unless you have to use the restroom or something. In which case hurry back.” She kissed my arm. We both froze surprised and uncertain how to respond to the intimacy. Cuddling had been one thing, it was a celebration of being alive. Of being home. Because I said the one thing I shouldn’t have said. “I’m sorry,” she said. I felt her arms loosen and her legs untangled from mine.

No, I wanted to scream: you shouldn’t have to be sorry for that. I bit my lip and tried to find the right words. I shifted so we were lying face to face. “No, don’t be.” It was hard to be this close to her and not know where we stood. We were half clothed, tangled together and we didn’t know where to draw the line. Five years was a lifetime. Five years was being overlooked in a matter of days because I had almost died. I wanted to run forward and never look back, rush head long into us again. I wanted to kiss her and be home, but it would never be that simple. “Thank you, for saving me.” You didn’t have to, not a second time, especially not what happened the day I left.

Regina reached out, running her fingers along my cheek, her eyes didn’t meet mine. I tried to look anywhere but her face so I didn’t notice. There was a thin white scar on her neck from Mr. Gold’s knife. My heart sped up and I could taste bile at the back of my throat. Memories of that day came crashed through my carefully constructed walls. I couldn’t stay here like this.

“I need to shower. I think that smell is me.” It was the only thing I could think of. I needed a moment of space. I couldn’t bare this exchange of pain and insecurity anymore.

Regina laughed. The sound was deep and throaty. I closed my eyes to try to keep myself from kissing her. That laugh and the smile that followed would be my undoing. Pulling together all my resolve I put my feet on the floor and stood up. 

The floor rushed up to meet my face. Or I fell. My head swam. The floor blurred and I blinked rapidly to refocus it. I could see the dark creeping in. My fingers dug into the small rug on the hardwood floor. I would not pass out again.

“Ruby!” Regina was at my side, helping me sit up, checking me over for injury. Her thumb rolled over my eyebrow and I hissed. The gentle gesture stung. Floor burn. “Are you okay?”

I tried to focus on her face but the room started to spin. I leaned my head forward onto her shoulder, closing my eyes, willing the room still. “Just dizzy, and thirsty.”

She reached for a glass on the nightstand, “Sit up.”

Slowly I complied and took the glass in my hands. My arms started to shake and I nearly dropped the glass. Regina placed her hands on mine to steady me. I felt weak and stupid. I knew better than to drive through Wyoming in August without extra water, without extra gas. Or to stand so quickly after being severely dehydrated. When was the last time I had eaten? I wanted to wrench my hands away and take care of myself but I wasn’t even sure I had the strength to do that. So with her help I finished the glass.

Using the bed as leverage I stood up slowly on my own, but I let Regina help me to the bathroom. The tile was cool to the touch, almost cold. It felt amazing, I could have laid down and been happy. “Why didn’t you just put me in here on the tile?”

“You don’t remember?” Regina started to draw a bath. I started to protest, I would much rather shower, but my knees chose that moment to feel weak and as I gripped onto the counter, sitting down again didn’t sound so horrible. I shook my head no.

“When David and I got you back to the house you were unconscious. He ran for ice in the kitchen and I brought you up here. I stripped you and we pressed ice packs to you. I was afraid if we submersed you in ice water right away we might send you into shock. But you were so hot. You responded, but were never really conscious. Your fever wasn’t high enough for heat stroke, but it was incredibly close. Even another thirty minutes out in that heat and –” My right knee buckled, Regina reached for me, I caught myself on the counter.

“Let’s get you in the tub.”

I opened on of the drawers beneath the vanity and found a hair tie so I could pull my hair up and out of my face. Everything was where it should be, where it was last time I was here. Well, here and conscious. As I looked back up I caught my reflection in the mirror and I realized I wasn’t wearing the same underwear I had been wearing before I ran out of gas. It was mine though, five years old and long forgotten. Should I undress? Or should I just get in the tub? Both options felt awkward. I didn’t even know if David or Regina had thought to rescue my suitcase from the truck. “I don’t have anything else to wear. I mean after.”

“Don’t worry about that. I have everything you left.” She looked away as she said it but helped me into the tub then padded out of the room, only to return a few moments later with two sets of clothes. Slowly she unbuttoned the flannel she had on and let it drop to the floor at her feet. She stood there for a moment in nothing but a matching set of black satin bra and panties. My heart stopped and I flashed back to the first night we were together in the loft. “Scoot forward.” Regina climbed into the oversized tub behind me. I was too tired to fight, too tired to question.

I leaned back against her and closed my eyes, letting everything soak in. Getting this far had taken almost all my energy. If I let myself I would be asleep again in a matter of minutes. Between the calming effect of the water and the feel of Regina at my back again I felt safe again. I didn’t feel like running anymore.

“How did?”

“My mother?”

“Yeah.”

“After they chased you off, David came in. He had heard the screams and had seen Mr. Gold’s car. He called the cops. They arrived shortly after.”

“Why didn’t you come after me?”

“I did, but I couldn’t find you. I’m not surprised it took Victor a year to find you, Ruby. You must have learned a few things.”

“I’m sorry.”

Regina kissed the back of my head.

We relaxed together, just feeling each other breathe. I wondered what would have happened if I had stayed, if things would have worked out. I couldn’t think on that, I could feel reality crashing in on this cozy bubble of tranquility. I had almost died. _Died_. Dehydrated in the back of a beat up pick up truck in the middle of nowhere on a road that didn’t always see a car every day let alone two. And somehow I was back in the one place I swore I would never be, in her arms. They had broken us up spectacularly that day. Five years of silence. And if I had died that’s how things would have been left. I shivered and snuggled into her shoulder. Regina ran her fingers through my hair, rubbing the spot of skin just behind my ear. No matter if I had to leave again I couldn’t think of anywhere I would rather be right then.

After a time she shifted, reaching for a cloth and soap, “Sit up.”

I made a noise of protest but her strong arms moved me into the position she wanted. Gently and slowly she started to wash my back. She ran the cloth down my arms, gently massaging muscles and coaxing me back to life. Her fingers grazed the scar on my rib cage and she stopped moving fingers frozen against the waxy skin. I held my breath. 

After Killian had shoved me into the table, I had wrapped the scrap but didn’t clean it. So hours later when I was had collapsed on Belle’s doorstep I found that the grime and splinters and sweat had caused an infection. I had been feverish and hallucinating and distraught for days. I never did tell Belle what happened on the ranch, I was glad she never asked. I had been friends with Aurora and Ashley and that’s all she needed to know. Every time I undressed part of that disaster ran through my head. The scar haunted me.

Regina’s fingers ran over the rough skin, “Is this what he did to you?”

I didn’t trust my voice, so I nodded.

“I’m sorry. They’re all gone now, Killian, Mr. Gold, my mother. What happened here got out and the townsfolk drove them out, or they're in jail.”

She handed me the wash cloth, “Do your front.” Methodically I complied. My mind was exhausted, trying to sort out too many emotions and memories too soon after a trauma. When I was finished Regina took the cloth back, “Turn around.”

The tub was large enough that it was easy to turn around without dislodging too much water. Once I settled back in Regina started to wash my legs. It felt strange after so long to have someone do something so caring and simple for me. No one ever wants to cuddle after a one night stand. I watched her face as she washed away the layers of dirt and sweat and pain. Her brow was furrowed, but her expression neutral. But I could read her better than she liked to admit. I knew she was deep in thought. I knew that in taking care of me herself instead of bringing in the doctor sooner or having one of the ranch hands watch me, this was her way of apologizing. I knew I had hurt her deeply and I had been certain I could never be forgiven.

I wanted to break through that careful mask. Crush it so I could see the real emotion beneath. I wanted her to yell and cry. I wanted to see her smile and laugh, the way she only did with me. I wanted to see her eyes soften and the stoic rancher woman melt away. She would never let me in again. My eyes stung.

Regina looked up, having finished. For a moment we watched each other, not saying anything. Not sure what to say or if there was anything to say. She shifted forward, moving a hand to brush a tear from my face and I realized I was crying.

“I thought I was seeing things in the heat when I saw that damned red pick up. I can’t believe it’s still running.”

“Barely, but I kept it alive.”

“What were you thinking, driving out here, no extra gas, no water?” Her thumb continued to rub the spot where my tears had been. I let me eyes drift close and leaned my cheek into her palm.

“Five years made me soft. I’ve forgotten what it’s like out here.” I had forgotten what it was like with you. I felt her go still at the mention of time. It had been too long. I should have called, I should have written. The time for all the should haves had long since passed. I had no right to come out here again, even unintentionally. I could have gotten her killed and I would never have known. I tried to turn away, but she gently turned me back to face her.

“Ruby?”

I opened my eyes. The water was growing tepid, it was long past time that we should have gotten out of the tub.

“I forgave you a long time ago, will you forgive me?”

I nodded.

“May I kiss you?”

I leaned forward resting my body against hers. I paused, nervous again after all these years, as we watched each other, breath held, waiting. Slowly I tilted my head and pressed my lips to hers. I was home again.


End file.
